IMV Turns 9: Cake, Community, and the Road Ahead
9 Years of Standing Together
Join us June 3rd to celebrate IMV’s 9th Birthday! Come spend time connecting with fellow community members working to make the world more just, equitable, and livable. As we gather to celebrate, we’re also remembering where IMV came from, why we began, and why this work still matters.
Nine years ago, a small group of people in Oneida County looked around after the 2016 election and decided that worry, anger, and private conversations were not enough. On Wednesday, June 21, 2017, they gathered at Jervis Library in Rome. Many had participated in the Women’s March and follow-up Huddles, and many had started meeting in person after connecting through Forward Mohawk Valley, a private Facebook group. Together, they decided that change required public political action.
Soon, they began holding demonstrations against Rep. Claudia Tenney outside her district office in New Hartford and at her public events and fundraisers. They also held rallies focused on climate action, saving health care, protesting Republican budget cuts, and electing representatives who would stand for progressive values. At that June meeting, the group discussed a new name and clear purpose. They voted to become part of the national movement of activists determined to hold representatives accountable and flip Congress using the strategies and tools of The Indivisible Guide. They chose the name Indivisible Mohawk Valley.
That beginning still defines us: Ordinary people working together, showing up publicly, and turning shared concern into organized action. As we mark IMV’s 9th birthday, we’re not just looking back — we’re using that history to prepare for the work ahead. In 2018, after months of grassroots electoral organizing, IMV played a meaningful part in flipping NY-22 and electing Antony Brindisi to replace Claudia Tenney, helping send a representative to Congress who would push back against the worst machinations of the first Trump administration.
At our June 3rd meeting, we’ll celebrate what we have built together, share cake, and begin talking about how to make 2026 another year when organized people power makes a real difference. Join us as we celebrate where we began and get ready for the work ahead!
Join Us for our IMV June 2026 Meeting!
IMV June 2026 Meeting
Wednesday, June 3rd
6:30-8:00 pm
JCC, 2310 Oneida Street, Utica
Sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/953203/
We have a lot of ground to cover with electoral politics as we gear up for the 2026 elections. We will also be serving cake to celebrate our 9th Birthday!
ICE Monitoring and Verification Training
There is an additional ICE Monitoring and Verification information session/training 8-9 pm following the IMV meeting on Wednesday, June 3. This training is for activists who want to learn about what is happening with ICE in our area including the work of the Utica Immigrant Defense Network (covers Oneida and parts of Herkimer and Madison counties) and the efforts to monitor ICE presence and verify ICE reports.
There is still a chance to pass the Plastics Reduction and Recycling Act! Call Today!
Sign up for the Dear Mr Speaker call relay challenge to make calls to the Assembly Speaker and Senate Majority Leader every 15 minutes on Friday. Click on this link bit.ly/mr-speaker-call-relay to sign up. Read the instructions, then choose the date and timeslot you want. No slots left? Great! Make your call without signing up.
Jon Lipe for Assembly: Thank You for Petitioning!
Thank you to everyone who helped collect signatures for Jon’s independent line, Mohawk Valley First. The Lipe for Assembly Campaign collected enough signatures to turn them in –so we hope that they will all survive scrutiny so that Jon can gain the Mohawk Valley First line!
Whenever we talked to registered Democrats, we also gave them Jon’s palm card and asked them to vote for Jon in the primary on June 23rd. So thanks for that head start on direct voter contact. We’ll talk at our June 3rd full membership IMV meeting about the ways we plan to spread across the 119th Assembly district to get the vote out for Jon’s primary.
For now, please note the Lipe for Assembly canvassing schedule for June to help Jon win his primary.
Here's the weekly canvass launch schedule starting June 1st:
Dunham Library, Whitesboro on Tuesdays from 5pm-6pm
Utica Public Library on Thursdays from 5pm-6pm
West Rome Dunkin Donuts at 1155 Erie Blvd W, Rome on Sundays from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.
Lipe for Assembly big canvas kickoff in Rome on Saturday, June 6th, 10am, details to come.
IMV Canvass for Jon Lipe, afternoon of Sunday, June 14th, details to come.
Climate Crisis Working Group
The Climate Crisis Working Group of IMV was founded in 2017 as a sub-committee. Since that time, the group has continuously followed its mission to work on climate change mitigation and adaptation through education, legislation, and other actions in our community, our state, and our nation. If you would like to be on the CCWG email list to learn of additional actions beyond those in the IMV newsletter, email Maggie Reilly, the CCWG chair, at margaret_reilly@mac.com. The following reflection from Maggie Reilly addresses recent setbacks to New York’s climate law, the disappointment many are feeling, and the work that continues.
What the Budget Means for Climate and Those Most Affected
As many of you know, the New York State Budget is passed in ten separate bills. The TED (Transportation, Economic Development and Environmental Conservation) bill includes rollbacks to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). At this point it has passed in the Assembly and will most likely be passed later this week or early next week leaving very little time for critical climate bills to be passed before the legislative session ends. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9008/amendment/C
While I have not read the TED bill in its entirety, I have been anticipating the evisceration of NY's landmark climate law, which many of us in the climate movement and those of us in the Climate Crisis Working Group of IMV worked so hard to get passed. It is a law that took years in the making and is based on SCIENCE. The process included public comment, a scoping plan, and regulations for its implementation. The Cap & Invest Program was one funding solution that would make polluters pay, not NY taxpayers. After hearing about the TED bill and listening to Assemblywoman Kelles explain her “no” vote https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=125&sh=video&video=28600#videos, I am disheartened, saddened, and disappointed, as are many others. To think a law based on science can be rolled back with a stroke of a pen, with no public input and no scientific studies, but most of all with no care for the long marginalized, disadvantaged communities hardest hit by climate change! This is not how a democracy works!!
In the next few weeks we will report back on the amendments made to the CLCPA, explaining what it means for the climate movement and our next steps. We will continue the work that is necessary to combat climate change. New York can still be a climate leader, transitioning off fossil fuels to become a renewable energy economy.
Our first step is obvious. It is imperative that we work on political campaigns, such as Jon Lipe’s, to elect candidates that have the integrity and courage to do what is right. We need leaders that will fight for our democracy and stand up for all New Yorkers.
While we mourn for our climate law we must stay positive and fight the good fight for our grandchildren’s future and the future of this planet. We can never give up!!
~ Maggie Reilly, Climate Crisis Working Group
Kudos to the Regulars
Indivisible Mohawk Valley is lucky to have so many dedicated activists who keep showing up, week after week.
This week, we want to give a special shout-out to the people who are out there doing the steady, visible, important work: the Thursday Utica ralliers, the Friday Bridge Brigade, the Saturday Rome ralliers, and the letter-to-the-editor writers who continue to push back against false narratives and speak up for our community.
Whether you are holding a sign over the Thruway, standing with neighbors at a rally, or writing letters that help make sure local readers hear more than one side of the story, your work matters.
You know who you are — and we are grateful. Thank you.
Mike Brown for Oneida County Clerk
Everyone is welcome to a “Spring Social” fundraiser and community conversation in Rome on Thursday, June 4th, 6-8 pm, for Mike Brown for Oneida County Clerk. There will be cocktails and light bites provided. The location near the YMCA will be provided upon RSVP. $50 suggested. Donate here. RSVP and questions: 315-617-3381.
Oneida County Pride Fest
Mark your calendar now for Oneida County Pride Festival, Saturday, June 6th, 10 am -4 pm at the Clinton Arena, 38 Kirkland Ave, Clinton. IMV will have a table at the event and we’re seeking volunteers to help share information about IMV, voting, and upcoming actions. The Pride Festival is always a well-attended event, making it a fantastic opportunity to grow our community and share our message. If you can volunteer for any part of the day, set up, or take down, please volunteer using this form.
This is a perfect bite size, local and especially fun way to build our power.
And don't forget the Oneida County Pride After Party (7:30-10 pm) at the JCC with presale tickets and tickets at the door. More Pride fun!
New Plan for Thursday Utica Rallies
The long-running Thursday afternoon rally will be changing locations on a monthly basis.
For June, we’ll meet on the Whitesboro Village Green near the Whitesboro Historical Museum at 8 Park Ave. This location will be used for four Thursdays, June 4 through June 25. Parking is available nearby, including on Main Street.
See you there!
Finally, BOOOO! to Republican Mayor of Utica Mike Galime.
After the Utica Common Council worked hard to develop and pass legislation regarding flag raising at City Hall and proposed to raise the flag for Pride month as it has been raised for nearly two decades, the Mayor vetoed it, with a flimsy excuse that did not disguise his bigotry. Double BOO. He’s up for re-election in 2027, and we’ll remember this betrayal along with a long list of others.
