Candidate Statements for Members at Large

In Alphabetical Order of Last Name

We need to elect 8 of these 9 candidates
Questions for any of the Candidates can be sent to info-toronto@democratsabroad.ca

Kathleen Leuschen-Member at Large, Incumbent

Self Nominated
Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska with stops in Virginia and Maryland along the way, I have
been a Toronto resident for over 20 years. I have served as a Member-at-large for the
Toronto Chapter for the last two years and as the Treasurer for the last few months. I bring
to the position my experience in the non-profit sector, including various roles in high profile
private and public foundations.

Currently my passions include gender equity and parent engagement in education. I

volunteer in various roles that blend my own love of social justice with being a policy nerd
and strategic planner.

This year, I hope to use my background in organizational governance and strategy to

engage our younger, progressive members in our get out the vote efforts. Toronto has an
amazing number of Americans living abroad that simply need the right reason to join us.

Arielle Loeb-Member at Large

Self nominated

I’ve been living outside of the US since 2006; first in Europe and now in Canada. While a
proud resident of Toronto, I continue to be a fiercely proud American. I have chosen to
submit my candidacy for Member-at-Large at Democrats Abroad Canada because I believe
the upcoming 2020 elections are too important for me to remain a bystander and voter only.

While living in Canada, I want to do whatever I can to ensure fellow Americans living here
are registered to vote. I want to show how easy it is to vote absentee from Canada and the
importance of doing so. The midterm elections have demonstrated that every vote truly
counts.

I have worked in marketing my entire career. First at General Mills in the US, followed by
stints in Europe and Canada. Currently, I am the EVP of Marketing for Spark Power, an
independent power company based in Oakville.

I would like to bring these experiences to Democrats Abroad Canada. While I am a

relatively new member of Democrats Abroad, I think the upcoming elections offer a great
opportunity to increase awareness about the organization, its cause, and how Americans
living in Canada can engage and ensure their votes are counted and their voices are heard.

To the position of Member-at-Large and the Board overall, I will bring my passion for
making positive change happen—as well as over 20 years of persuasive marketing and
communication know-how—in any way that can serve the organization and its members.

Some races in the midterms were decided by as little as a percentage point. “With
America’s elections increasingly decided by far less, participation in early voting can decide
races from Congress to school boards” (Quartz article, After 2018, the US should stop
calling it election day), I want to do my part to ensure that every American living in
Toronto/the GTA have the chance to participate in a way that works for them.

Lewis Luo-Member at Large

Self Nominated
I'll say thank you to Julie for her email at the beginning. Julie said "We need you to
volunteer to be a member of the Board of the Toronto Chapter".

I've known Julie, Star, Sherry, David, Ed, Bennett, Lissette and many other fellow
Americans here and among Expat American abroad friends for some years now. Frankly,
I've learned a lot from YOU and obtained both your helps and your friendships as well in
many aspects. I feel grateful to your friendship, in particular David, Ednar and Starla 'Star'.

Participating DA branch organized "Register and vote abroad" community event, to advise
citizen students in Toronto area to sign up online and to demonstrate the privilege right vote
from abroad; attending Tax seminar in local library and tele-conference workshop on
overseas American TAX issues and concerns; assisting in election-watch party, pub night
and election debate, handling vote from abroad postings and accepting training in Toronto
Consulate General etc. I've been a pretty active participant in the local branch community.

I'm passion of public service, obligated to voice people's concerns about their
responsibilities verse their legal rights. i fully understand the role that DA can play in
community and in electoral democracy process. Too often, I told myself it's not always
about to win or to lose, but to show your passion and your care across the party line.

Ten years went through and gone by, since I left home state. I crossed over day by day and
another, while missing home, friends and family relatives, too painful to tell. I never have
such kind of feelings in my life!

Member-At-Large position can be a fit to fulfill my passion and to be ALWAYS ready on-call
to GO HOME.

Thank you for your consideration.

Janet McCabe-Member at Large, Incumbent
Self Nominated

Although my family and my roots are in Toronto, I have spent almost 25 years of my adult
life living in the United States and my husband and I raised our three children there. When
then candidate, Barack Obama became the Democratic nominee in 2008 I became highly
energized to become an American citizen so that I could vote in this historic election. I was
ecstatic with his victory and felt that the values and causes for which he and the Democratic
party stood aligned with mine. Throughout my adult life I have been involved in social justice
issues; in particular those related to Latin America, human rights/refugee rights and in the
latter part of my professional life worked with a refugee resettlement agency in Louisville,
Kentucky as the Special Medical Needs Coordinator. I have an undergraduate degree in
Nursing and an M.A in Political Science. In the 2012 and 2016 Presidential elections I did
some door to door canvassing in Cincinnati for Democratic candidates as well as some
phone banking and most recently worked as a volunteer in the Toronto office assisting with
phone banking for the 2018 mid-term election. In December I was invited to join the Toronto
Board as a Member-at-Large and was happy to accept this position. I am deeply concerned
about the events I see happening in the U.S. and feel a responsibility to work to bring about
the changes necessary to reverse the course taken by the Republican government over the
last two years. I am committed to working diligently with other Board members and
volunteers with the goal of engaging and increasing the membership of Democrats Abroad,
getting out the vote and ultimately, ensuring a Democratic victory in the 2020 Presidential
election which by almost any measure will be the most consequential election of our time. I
would be grateful for your support in this effort. Thank you.

Stephanie (Sarah) Perry-Member at Large

Self Nominated

I am a retired lawyer, age 62, and as a phonebanker during the recent mid-terms I was one
of the most committed (in terms of hours worked, not in terms of the fervour we all shared)
volunteers in the Toronto campaign centre. I believe I may have been the "top-producer" for
the Toronto chapter, and I know we all had a great time working together on a project we
passionately believed in.
I'm really, really OLD, so I've done volunteer work for many organizations, dating back to
handing out anti-war -- that's the VIETNAM War -- flyers every day after middle school,
without my GOP parents' knowledge.
Most relevant for this position is that I chaired a non-profit community organization, The
Cabbagetown Tour of Homes, here in Toronto. I had started as a one-day volunteer, then
for a few years thereafter served as the volunteer co-ordinator and was responsible for
organizing over 200 volunteers at multiple locations and in varying functions, for the
weekend of the event, and eventually I got stuck running the whole damn thing for 5 years
as chair. We raised tens of thousands of dollars annually ( at a time when that was LOTS
of money) for local charities, including an after-school arts programs for at-risk kids in
Regent Park which combined counselling with creativity, and an English literacy group for
new Canadian women, many of whom couldn't read and write in their own languages and
who were socially isolated.

I am grateful to DemsAbroad for keeping me informed on the issues most relevant to

Americans abroad (of ANY political denomination) and for the help voting over the 25 years
I've been here in Toronto, but I only got involved, came out to an event, and signed up to
work for the organization as a phonebanker, after Trump came in.
There is no cause more important to me at this time than 2020, and I understand that the
Toronto Chapter is looking for competent and committed members with the time to step up
and do more.
If you can use me, I'm available.

Sam Rowan – Member at Large

Self Nominated
I am self nominating myself to be a member-at-large for the next election cycle because as
the posting on the website states, this is probably the most important election of my lifetime
and want to help Democrats Abroad in any way possible. I recognize the importance that
having an engaged base for the in the Toronto area as Democrats Abroad play a massive
role in holding the Democratic Party to a progressive platform. Having volunteered
municipal and provincial political parties in Canadian elections I have gained valuable
experience talking and working get members and potential members of political parties to
engage in the electoral process and look forward to doing the same in this coming election.

As a current student at Ryerson University, I feel that I'm an ideal candidate to be a member
at large as I can help recruit fellow students who are eligible to vote yet haven't been
engaged in American politics before to vote in this upcoming election. Being in a University
environment ensures that I've been writing consistently over the past year in a way that will
be considered professional and competent for this position. Additionally I find my current
enrollment at a local University to be important because issues like climate change and
financial equality are the most pressing issues of this next election and considering the
enthusiasm that politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ro Khanna ,
show that mobilizing a young and progressive vote in Toronto will help assure that the party
runs a optimistic campaign in order to combat the Neo-Fascist platform the Republicans will
be running on the next election. As the last election proved a lesser of two evils platform is
simply not good enough to beat Donald Trump's populist appeal.
Brooke Scott-Member at Large, York Region, Incumbent
Self Nominated-Incumbent
My name is Brooke Scott and I am running for Member at Large-York Region. For nearly the
past two years I have been the Member at Large for York region attending monthly Toronto
board meetings both in person and online. I have participated in and run several events to
engage US eligible voters. Beginning in 2018, I began became co-chair of the Women's
Caucus Canada and recently have begun running the Women's Caucus Canada. I believe in
grassroots activism and the power of our vote to create progressive change.

Virginia Smith-Member at Large, Incumbent

I think that I have made some significant contributions to the work of Democrats Abroad
during my current term on the Toronto board as a member-at-large, and I would like to be
able to continue those contributions. I may also start contributing in new ways if I am elected
again. My worked has been focused in two areas: as a mover of Democrats Abroad Vietnam
project and as a writer of articles for the DA website.
A primary goal of the Vietnam project has been to tell the stories of DA members who moved
to Canada from the U.S. during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The turbulence caused by
the Vietnam War was a factor in the moves made by many Americans at that time. The project
also aims to discover the contemporary relevance of the experiences of those who moved.
Some of the stories told to DA can be found on the Democrats Abroad Canada website.
I have written a number of articles for the DA website, including articles on Hillary Clinton's
visit to Toronto, on DA Toronto's response to the Parkland shootings, and on DA's efforts to
get out the vote for the 2018 election.
My professional experience includes writing, editing, and community organizing. I have
worked with a number of community-based initiatives, for example, the Out of the Cold
program. I am currently a member of the council at my church. I have been involved in effort
to develop bonds of friendship with Muslim organizations and families in Toronto.
I came to Canada as a student and became a permanent resident in the late 1960s. I am
from New York, and I continue to vote from there.

Ed Ungar-Member at Large
Self Nominated
I've been on Toronto's ExCom since Toronto was effectively Canada's Ex Com. Among other
activities. It's been wonderful to see Democrats Abroad Toronto and Canada grow to where
we are. It is also important to keep in mind how far we have to go. Along with attending and
organizing our reach outs at street fairs and labor day parades I'm proud to, along with Adrian
Jones, to have organized the first DA phone bank in the world right here in Toronto. Right
now, I am a member emeritus. But that does not carry voting privileges nor does it allow me
to help contribute to a quorum. I am running for member at large so I can further contribute
in the next crucial years.