November 1, 2023 630 PM
MARFA –– Democrats in Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties have joined up to form a new organization called Big Bend Democrats, with the mission of electing more Democrats to local and state office. They will host their first event this Saturday –– The Big Bend Democrats Fall Forum on Issues and Advocacy. It will take place on November 4, from 2 to 6 p.m. in the atrium of the Capri at 603 West San Antonio Street in Marfa.
The event will start off with a performance by local musical duo, Primo Carrasco and Presidio County Commissioner David Beebe. A brief introduction will be delivered by Houston executive Thierry Tchenko, who is running in the Democratic Primary for United States Senate. At 3 p.m., Tchenko will participate in a panel discussion called “Democrats on the Border,” along with Brewster County Commissioner Sara Colando (Terlingua), Presidio County Judge Joe Portillo, and Chief Deputy Joel Nunez of the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office. The panel will be moderated by attorney Susan Hays, who recently ran for agriculture commissioner. The panel will explore their diverse perspectives on immigration and border security.
At 3:50, Presidio Democrats County Chair Ramon Rodriguez Aranda will conduct a brief Q&A with Katherine Culbert, candidate for Texas Railroad Commission. Culbert is the co-founder and CEO of K and K Process, a Houston-based consulting firm that assists oil and gas companies in improving process, personnel, and pipeline safety and reducing environmental impacts.
At 4:20, there will be a second panel discussion entitled “Women’s Health in Rural Texas Post-Dobbs,” moderated by local attorney Blair Park, who has recently thrown her hat into the race for Presidio County attorney. Panelists include Dr. Christie Alexander, physician of Marfa; Susan Hays; Lisa Kettyle, founder of the Big Bend Reproductive Coalition; and Austin Attorney Randall Sarosdy, who is running for Texas Supreme Court Place 2.
The keynote address will be delivered at 5:15 by activist Nancy Thompson, founder of Mothers Against Greg Abbott, which began as a one-woman protest and became an overnight movement, galvanizing women across Texas and America.
At the forum’s conclusion, the group will venture down the street to Ballroom Marfa, where artist Guadalupe Maravilla will be hosting a contemporaneous celebration and sound ceremony for his show, Guadalupe Maravilla: Mariposa Relámpago, which is inspired by his experience of migration, being undocumented, and surviving cancer.
