Help fix the ballot for Suffolk County Clerk 2026

To learn more about the Suffolk County Clerk race for 2026, please find the FaceBook group:
“Progressive Suffolk County Clerk 2026“

When you walk into the voting booth on November 3, 2026, you will find that on the ballot line for “Suffolk County Clerk”, you will (probably) have only one option, only one candidate to pick, the incumbent Republican/Conservative.

You will probably find your ballot that way, for what appears to be back door deals among Democratic, Republican, and Conservative party bosses. Newsday has done great coverage on some of the how and why the Democratic candidate was pressured to leave the race, in a strategic move to ensure victory for the Republican/Conservative.

If you want to put a progressive on the line for Suffolk County Clerk, you have two choices:

By this Friday, August 21st, pressure Suffolk Democratic Chair Richard Schaffer and his friends to appoint a new candidate…

Or, if that does not happen, you can work with fellow progressives in Suffolk County to choose a “write-in” candidate who we will all give strong support and publicity to, in order to possibly win, or at least show our displeasure with Dem/Rep dealmaking that harms voters.

If this story interests you, please consider requesting an invite to our private, Face Book Group. It is called: “Progressive Suffolk County Clerk 2026” on FaceBook, and if one of the moderators knows your work in the justice, progressive, activist, and or progressive Democratic Party community, we will accept you pretty quickly.

There is currently a straw poll to help determine who we may all agree on for a write-in candidate. There are eleven candidates, some of them former Democratic candidates, some of them justice activists, some of them new to politics.

The link is here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551697496696152

We can create a ballot where progressives and Democrats will find candidates whom they can trust to care about our community and our democratic values.

Three months: Three actions to save our democracy

Save Our Democracy:
Three Actions A Day ‘Til November

Three is a magic number.

There are about three months left until the midterm and local elections.

The elections are on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Please, every day, for about three months, please do a little bit of community service for democracy in each of these three ways:

1. Take an action to support any progressive candidate or any progressive Democrat candidate
to win their election.*

2. Take an action each day that will diminish authoritarianism, white nationalism, oligarchy, kleptocracy, racism, and/or ICE.

3. Take an action to preserve the integrity of the November election.

You can do this thing. You can save our American democracy. You can focus on our democracy for three months so that we do not entirely lose it. We can win our democracy back (and try to make it better than before).

Here are more precise instructions:

Please, each day, for three months, take three actions to save the democracy:

1. Take an action to support a progressive or progressive Democrat to win an election.

Please make an effort to support our election system, even if election systems and voting are not something that you much faith in or don’t usually use. Our election system is a tool we have that helps some people express their will and exercise their democracy.

2. Take an action each day that will diminish authoritarianism, white nationalism, oligarchy, kleptocracy, racism, and/or ICE.

Kimberly Wilder has fun at the North Brookhaven Democratic Club’s annual picnic!

They are blue. I’m an independent progressive. Though, it was gracious of the club to let me speak at their annual picnic. So happy we can meet at the No Kings protests, at the backyard rallies, and, also, at the voting booth (when our missions line up so perfectly!)

To see my official, campaign webpage, please go to: votewilder.com

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Note: Georgiana Circle: Women Healing History is a long time blog project of Kimberly Wilder. I had posted a lot about my campaign when I did not have an official, candidate webpage. Now, I am posting a little about my campaign, between other projects and announcements. Please excuse the editorial bias on my free, personal, WordPress blog.

In our hearts the flags can be at half staff for Lorenzo and Joan, who were unjustly killed by ICE

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero were both killed by ICE within the same week.

When I see the flags at America’s court houses and federal buildings at half staff, in my heart, I know it is not for just another conservative friend of the current, authoritarian president. I know, in my heart, that American flags are flying at half staff for our neighbors — two people of America — who were killed unjustly by an out-of-control, federal, law enforcement agency named ICE.

Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Joan
We honor you.
Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Joan
We honor you.

This flag
This flag it flies for you.
We honor you.

Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Joan,
we honor you.

Note: In the video, it was a kind of slip that I said “two Americans”. And, then I realized that the word American does, truly describe each of these men in so many ways, including that they are and were a part of the community and fellowship of the people of the United States of America, and in addition, they belong to the land that is America –North and South — a region of nature and spirit, not just borders.

Chant, comments, and video by Kimberly Wilder.

Poem: Response to social media post of another immigrant neighbor being hunted down in another Home Depot parking lot.

Shto Ehta?

Part One

In the video, the man is on the ground, in a parking lot, in a Home Depot in East Baltimore. There are two dark figures struggling him into handcuffs and taking him away.

A woman chases them, shouting ahead. Though, none of the men seem to respond appropriately to her urgency.

As the story unfolds,
my trying to understand what is happening, when it is happening,
and if it is real, is disorienting.

It seems like we are watching a scene…maybe a movie?…maybe a nightmare?…from 1930’s Germany. And, Hitler’s secret police are taking people away. And, we think that we can do something. We know what is happening is wrong, really wrong. And, everyone should realize by now. We chase the bad guys, yet they keep taking the man away to hurt him, and no one comes to the rescue.

The silence of the victim is also eerie and confusing. Something to process: Does he want our help or not? Is he afraid? Or, is he merely consigned to his part in the movie?

The woman gives up and breathes out in frustration. Is she really a modern day attorney who has stumbled upon this horrible scene? That is what she claims in the movie (or in my dream.)

Could she actually be a time traveler
who can only see the past and not change it?
Or, maybe, she is an actress in a movie we are watching?
Or, is she myself?

Perhaps she is a vision in a dream where you see a character
and then realize the character is yourself?

What should we do next?



Part Two

There is streaming commentary under the moving picture.

Don’t worry about the people popping up to cheer on the cruelty and feed the power and ego of ICE.

Some of them are not even really people. They are robots sent out by Darth Vader or Hitler, to frighten you into submission.

They are the little old ladies, who live on the bottom floor of dingy apartments in the former Soviet Union, who call the local government to tell on you when you have foreigners visit.

Or, again, I am thinking even more now, that this video is actually our collective dream. And, the people who post bullying comments — meant to demean our neighbors and discourage us from fighting back against the fascism — those bullies are just images of ourselves in our dreams.

They are the part of us that as little children absorbed the prejudices of our community, and were indoctrinated by the ethnic jokes repeated over and over again by our nasty uncles at the dinner table when we were too young to discern.

Those bullies are the weakness inside us
trying to rise up and make one more stand to summon our bravery.

What should we do next?





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by Kimberly Wilder

Dedicated to Kristen and to the man who does not give his name.

(Shto Ehta means “What is this?” in Russian.
It is a phrase people often utter in a dumbfounded way
when they are shocked or learning the language.)

7/12/2026

4th of July: Posted for friends, family, and neighbors

[Comments on photos and the Bicentennial Parade after third photo!]

Many people are reflecting on old times in their celebrations of America at 250: The United States Semiquincentennial.

This post may be imperfect in its old fashioned naïveté. It is a parade organized by Karen and friends, in the town of Holbrook, Long Island, New York. This event happened on July 4, 1976. First a Bicentennial Parade was held. Then, the annual block party happened.

Photos and photographer’s comments are below. If more photos flow in, I will keep posting. If you were there and have photos, please do send to Karen from Hyacinth Lane, or to blogger Kimberly Wilder.

This very local parade involved Hyacinth Lane, Horseshoe Drive, and Hillberry Lane.

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Read more: 4th of July: Posted for friends, family, and neighbors

Looking Back at 1976:
A Long Island neighborhood celebrates The Bicentennial

It is hard to believe that it was 50 years ago since our country’s bicentennial and here we are celebrating our 250th anniversary!

I lived on a very special (almost magical) block in Holbrook — Hyacinth Lane. We were a group of neighbors that became like extended families! We had all moved into a new development as newlyweds, and had grown into young families.

There were lots of birthday parties, Easter Egg Hunts, Christmas Cookie Exchanges, Mahjong games, and even a neighborhood ceramics class.

And…on July 4th, 1976, we had a special event before our annual block party, a Bicentennial parade. Many kids and some parents participated. We marched down Hyacinth Lane, and around Hillberry Lane and Horseshoe Drive.

We had: kids dressed in colonial costumes; a group imitating The Spirit of 76 with a fife and drum; and a baker who was carrying a “Happy Birthday America” cake. Even Uncle Sam was there, pulling a little red wagon with Betsy Ross sitting inside, sewing the first American Flag!

We finished with a stop at a table with slices of juicy watermelon served to the tired marchers. After the parade we had our traditional barbecue, dessert table, pony cart rides, games, and fireworks to complete our memorable day!

Article and most photos by: Karen Isaksson

Photo from the Cava archives.

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This post is a vision from a guest author/photographer. The post is off topic, and much less partisan or political than others on this blog. Though, you are free to send complaints to blogger Kimberly Wilder.

Robin Hood’s tree dies: Reflections of a poet and a genuine trystler

Trees are so important, and such a backdrop for our lives here on earth. Often, trees are underappreciated and overlooked. Though, once upon a time, while I tried to protect a small patch of wetland trees on Long Island, I wrote the poem below describing how important trees are in the life of people.

I am amazed that when I wrote this poem, I did not know that there was an Old English word which specifically means, <trees that were used as meeting spaces>. The word is trystler.

I stumbled upon the word trystler in the sad news that the ancient oak tree, in Sherwood forest, often associated with Robin Hood, has died.

Below is a link and blurb from the CNN article about the passing of the tree.

And, further down is my poem, “Message from Essex”.

Ancient Sherwood Forest oak tree reputed to have sheltered Robin Hood has died
(story on CNN Science)

However, the early stories do refer to Hood and his outlaws having distinctive meeting trees, called “trystle trees,” where people knew they could find Hood, Brown said.

“It is, of course, possible that this meeting tree would have been associated with a distinctive tree within the Forest from a very early stage in the legend,” he [Alex Brown, an associate professor of history at Durham University, England] said. (from CNN)


Message from Essex

Thoughts on reforming the Supreme Court

Thoughts on reforming the Supreme Court:
From the “1A” program on WAMU radio, and also, from 1A fan, candidate Kimberly Wilder

As I was listening to NPR on the radio the other day, I heard the host from 1A invite comments about the Supreme Court for the upcoming show. I was so excited to have lead time to submit something, that, I confess, my something became rather long.

I did not make the show!

Though, I did listen to their whole program on the court and it was very informative. One thread of the conversation was that a lot of folks are looking toward the idea of creating “term limits” on the Supreme Court as a good way to create some reform and some possibility of independence from the polarized politics of our current system. Additionally, this term limits idea seems to be more doable than other reforms, since it appears that both Democrats and Republicans support the idea.

Please consider listening to the whole 1A show for valuable insight and ideas about restoring trust in the Supreme Court.

Below is a slightly modified version of the comments I submitted, which did not make the show. I do believe that my thoughts on corporations are a fresh take which would be interesting for experts to examine as a possibility.

Dear Friends at 1A,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful programs.

I am very excited to hear what your experts and other listeners have to say about ways to reform the US Supreme Court.

I feel like the court is very out of touch with America, and also out of touch with the role they should be playing to support our democracy and to protect the rights of Americans.

I have done some research on the Supreme Court and the chances that the court might choose a case to consider. The amount of cases that they can take is so low. And, some of the cases they should be hearing are about profoundly important issues such as saving the environment or protecting prisoners from injustice and harm. The Supreme Court only has time to address a fraction of the cases for people pleading for themselves, their children, their communities, and the earth.

The first part of my idea to reform the court is that the court simply needs the ability to take more cases, because the number of people and businesses has grown so much, we need to have some matching proportion in the cases that the Supreme Court has the time, docket space, and ability to hear. Maybe that means that America needs to have two or three “sets” of justices and each set can have its own calendar and docket to hear cases.

Another idea of mine is a social innovation, which could incorporate the above.

When it comes down to it, what is the most important part of justice? Our rights and our dignity as living, breathing, human beings: “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Supreme Court (and all our American courts) are bogged down by so many cases that involve corporations. Corporations are not people. Corporations should not be able to “gang up on human beings and the living” in order to protect wealth.

I think that we should rearrange the court in one of two ways to return the court to the protection of human beings, as opposed to money/capital:

1. There should be a rule that corporations can not bring cases to the Supreme Court. It should be adequate justice for a corporation to stop at the US District Court. At that level, the corporation has already received a lot of our joint resources (and, when it comes down to it, tax dollars) and a fair chance to be heard. (Note that under this model, if a person or group of people wish — since they are human beings and participants in our democracy — they should be allowed to apply to the Supreme Court to consider their case AGAINST a corporation.)

or

2. We should add justices and split the Supreme Court into two sections. One section would be for people, nonprofits, environmentalists, prisoners, and advocates to bring cases to protect humanity and keep our system just. The other section would be to take cases where a corporation is a plaintiff. In those cases, where it is about the profit of a corporation, there should be a high fee to file a case. Or, alternately, the whole “Corporate Supreme Court” system would be paid for by taxes on corporations.

The Supreme Court was created and designed when there were many less people in America. In addition, when the Supreme Court was created, there was less influence of money, wealth, lawyers, and corporations on our democracy. In order to return the Supreme Court to any semblance of service to humanity and our democracy, we need to help the Supreme Court have more time for the things which matter most: the right of living people to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In addition, I believe in many of the ideas that others have proposed. [Term limits, which was proposed on the 1A show, seem to hold great promise if applied to The Supreme Court.]

Another important idea is to create a better system to make sure that justices do not have conflicts of interest. There needs to be a committee of lawyers or some other independent mechanism to ensure that justices recuse themselves when there are conflicts of interest, and that justices do not take gifts over a certain amount from anyone.

Another reform could be to allow Americans to vote on one Supreme Court justice. By having one member who clearly represents the voice of the people, there would be a kind of watchdog voice on the court.

[It is so heartening that so many regular Americans, lawyers, legal experts, and politicos are focused on how to rearrange the Supreme Court to put it back on mission for the American people.]

Many thanks,
Kimberly Wilder

Kimberly Wilder is a political activist, mom, and freelance writer who lives in Riverhead, Long Island, NY. Wilder is running for New York State Assembly, District 2 for the November 2026 elections.

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[Disclaimer: Georgiana Circle is a project of Kimberly Wilder. I am using my old blog about women, history, and politics to get some information up on the web about my current, political campaign. Thanks for your patience and, hopefully, your support.]

Did you ever feel like your idea could have saved someone in the news cycle?

My mother called me yesterday. One of her friends was very upset about the hack to the Canvas educational platform. So many students and educators have put so much sensitive data into that program. A hack could harm people over huge swaths of the country.

My name is Kimberly Wilder. I am running to be a member of the New York State Assembly in District 2 (Riverhead/Brookhaven). As writer, activist, and cultural worker, I have been having some wild ideas about reforming government, and specifically, about ways to improve New York State law.

I find it so frustrating that so many entities demand or encourage people to input sensitive data simply in order to participate in retail shopping or to get our needs met through healthcare and education. The reality of the Canvas hack and similar hacks over the years shows us that government should intervene to help.

What would it look like for New York state leaders to create more data privacy laws?

My future colleagues in New York State have already created some good ideas to protect consumer privacy. One recent law that I feel supported data protection was Chapter 584 of the Laws of 2025. This bill requires companies to accept cash at retail and food service establishments. Hurrah for New York State legislators who passed the bill and the New York State governor who signed the bill. The main purpose is to help New Yorkers who do not have credit cards. Though, it will also help everyone not have to share their credit data in order to buy a hot dog (or tofu dog in my case.)

My campaign hopes to put forward issues that go even beyond those proposals that Democratic and/or progressive lawmakers in New York may currently consider. I hope to be a bold and independent voice for New Yorkers, especially if I am elected. So, one of my first ideas is to apply the concept of “Social Innovation” to data privacy and other problems that New Yorkers face.

How could the strategy of “Social Innovation” used in Albany improve the life of New Yorkers? State Assembly Members and State Senators would choose a problem, and then get lawmakers, stakeholders, advocates, and nonprofits to see if there were new social patterns and creative angles that could be shaped into law. The flavor of this strategy would be like using engineering principles, mixed with a real concern for human beings and their relationships, as a backdrop for lawmaking.

My first idea for a social innovation resonates with the recent hack to Canvas educational platform. By exploiting the vulnerability of a corporate data system — a platform used by huge nonprofits, where people had been asked to input sensitive data — the hackers have done great damage.

How much information should corporations, government agencies, educational agencies, and health agencies “force” students/patients/consumers to input into the cloud?

Maybe these agencies should be more guided or controlled in their data demands by New York State laws? We already of volumes of consumer protection laws and student privacy laws. Yet, we allow a school to force you to do things such as use your birthdate or social security number when registering online for classes. And, we allow healthcare providers to make you put your child’s birthdate through the computer ethers just to confirm an appointment. I have been forced to put my child’s birthdate onto a form for roller skating, or turn around at the entrance and tell my child that she cannot go inside.

The first new law I have proposed — a law that I would try to create support for among my fellow, progressive and/or caring legislators if I am elected — is about protecting the data of a child’s birthdate from being overused.

Here is a blurb about it from one of my candidate flyers:

“More privacy for children’s data: Create a social innovation where children only input the season and year of their birth into most systems. Keep children’s birth dates off of the internet.”

If I am elected to the New York State Assembly, I know that I will find other legislators who will want to work on the idea of Social Innovation to protect data privacy and to help New Yorkers in other bold and creative ways.


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I hope you will consider signing my petition and then voting for me, so I can help envision wonderful, new, socially innovative legislation for New York State. Petitioning is happening now. The last date to mail in petitions for this Kimberly Wilder for Assembly campaign is May 12, 2026. Or, you can catch us in person and hand in by May 23, 2026. We would be honored by your support.

May Day 2026: Workers over Billionaires and The Power of the People

There are so many places to celebrate May Day this year, because Americans are feeling so poor, oppressed, and frustrated — yet, we see a glimmer of a better future. Let’s stand up strong and celebrate that glimmer!

Please go to mobilize.us or other protest calendars to find a place to stand with your friends and cohorts on May Day.

Here are some Long Island events. (There are many, all over the island.) I focused on Riverhead and Miller Place which are near me.

Riverhead at 12pm to 1pm
Supreme Court Suffolk sidewalk
Griffing Ave, Riverhead
(This courthouse event is like a magical reunion of folks who showed up at the courthouse quickly when one of the horrible things happened to our democracy last year.)

Miller Place 2pm to 3:30 pm
https://mobilize.us/s/rUMEhJ
Sidewalk in front of Applebees
355 NY 25-A
Miller Place, NY 11764
(Recently ran into many folks from the North Brookhaven Democratic Club who will be at this event. The club is full of progressives and protesters, action-oriented folks and activists. Not just your usual partisan politics.)

Workers over Billionaires
(With a working title that includes the F word.)
Friday, May 1st
11am to 1pm
Resistance Corner
Port Jeff

There is an after-party that you could make in time with most of these protests…

Rock The Resistance
https://mobilize.us/s/dX9PWk
May Day Picnic in the Park
at
Indian Island County Park
Riverhead
Start: 1:30