Jim Dean Addresses Three Parks Dems

The leader of a national grassroots Democratic activist group urged members
of the Three Parks Independent Democrats not to take a moment's rest as the
group planned demonstrations against a proposed escalation in the Iraq war
and discussed zoning issues at their monthly meeting Wednesday night.

Jim Dean, the chairman of Democracy for America and brother of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean outlined his
organization's mission and spelled out concrete steps-from calling legislators to volunteering for a campaign in Florida-that the several dozen partisans could take to further progressive policies and officials around the country.

"The best way to get a Democrat elected to the White House in '08 is to get a Democrat elected somewhere else in '07," Dean said. "If we use our groundwork already, we can make a huge, huge difference."

The meeting took place at the same time as President Bush's address to the nation, in which he called for sending more troops to Iraq. The juxtaposition seemed lost on no one, as Dean quipped, "I am not the most
terrific speaker in the world, but I'm a lot better than the guy who'll be coming on at 9."

Leaders of the club urged the attendees to participate in several demonstrations planned for Thursday.

The club also hosted Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), the chairman of the council's zoning and franchises committee, to explain the process of rezoning-a hot topic in the neighborhood. After Avella's speech, members voted unanimously for a resolution supporting a rezoning passed by local Community Board 7 in June that they say is
currently languishing before the Department of City Planning.

A litany of local elected officials-including Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell(D-Morningside Heights), Senator Bill Perkins (D-Harlem), and Councilwoman
Melissa Mark Viverito (D-Upper West Side)-also attended the meeting and
offered updates.