Public service must be accountable to those you serve. Democracy is happening every day of the year, in every space, whether people are watching or not. Be brave.
Dear Democratic Committee Member:
I am asking for your support as I run for my first term as a Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee Member representing Delaware County. I was elected to the Darby Township Democratic Committee in the spring of 2022 and became third vice-chair that summer. During this time, I would attend Delaware County Democratic Leaders meetings as much as I was able to gain insight on proper procedures and stay informed. I was appointed Judge of Elections in November 2023 and prior to and after serving as Judge of Elections, I volunteered as a poll greeter throughout Darby Township handing out sample ballots.
Beyond my role as a member of Darby Township Democratic Committee, I’ve volunteered to support numerous Democrats in Delaware County through phone banking, canvassing, distributing literature, and making sure Delaware County residents are registered to vote. During protests I co-organized, we made sure to have voter registration materials available for anyone in attendance who needed to register to vote.
I became more involved in politics once I realized that many issues we face are human rights issues - not political issues. Yet many elected officials don’t serve the people they work for - they serve their own interests. Whether it’s to feed their ego with a title, give and receive favors, or carry on a legacy of nepotism, there is no denying that our political sphere often contradicts the very values we claim to want to uphold.
My moral compass is what guides me through every choice I make- and I’m not afraid to stand up to a system that harms people. I know all too well that sometimes the people who cause harm are the people in our own party - and I am not a party apologist. Accountability and safety are at the forefront of my goals. I hold myself to the same standard and believe we will only benefit from being honest about where we can improve. Not only as a party, but as individuals - we can’t have a collective without the individual. Each person contributes to the party in subtle and major ways. Sometimes the contributions can be damaging and leave ripple effects that can take a devastatingly long time to fix. If we prioritize the safety of ourselves and others, we won’t leave room for harm in our spaces. If we can hold ourselves and others accountable without favoring our friends, we can lay a welcoming foundation of trust and integrity for future generations to thrive in.
The work we do is undoubtedly important. How we do the work will determine our long term-success. Not only by winning via a ballot, but by winning in the small ways we can all share in - the victory of respect and care for one another, the victory of community and service, and the victory of every single person feeling that they belong.
I appreciate your consideration to nominate me as a Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee Member and with or without that title, I will continue to embody my values and fight for a more just world.
Ashley Dolceamore [she/her/hers]
Candidate for Democratic State Committee Member representing Delaware County
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY, BUT YOU HAVE TO HELP, AND YOU CANNOT HELP EFFECTIVELY ALONE.
ABOUT ASHLEY DOLCEAMORE
Ashley Dolceamore is a Vice Chair for the Darby Township Democratic Committee in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. She is running for her first term as a Democratic State Committee Member. Born in Upland and raised in Collingdale as well as Darby Borough, Ashley has now called Darby Township home for over a decade. As a young teen, she realized waiting on somebody else to “do something” about the injustices in our world was useless- and decided to focus on how she could effect positive change in the ways she was able to. She attended schools in Southeast Delco School District, starting high school at Academy Park High School in Sharon Hill, and graduated from Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne. Yearning to work in a setting where she could help others, she attended Delaware County Community College focusing on Social Work where the classes she completed helped guide her next steps.
In September 2018, Ashley started her job as a Personal Care Aide at Darby Township School, formerly Ashland Middle School where she was once a student. She worked in the Special Education Department, working directly with second and third grade students with emotional support needs. During this time, Ashley was also a bus aide before and after school and worked for the YMCA’s after-school program at Darby Township School. Out of all of the titles she’s held throughout her life, Miss Ashley is the one she holds closest to her heart. When the aftermath of Covid shut schools down in March 2020, she chose to focus her time on grassroots organizing and activism. Ashley was a key co-organizer of many protests, rallies, and marches calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality, for transparency and accountability within the justice system and police departments, fair funding for our public schools, and reproductive rights. Ashley found joy in helping organize Pride festivals and marches, from fundraising to logistics. She also helped organize recurring harm reduction events with a strong belief that everyone deserves the resources that they need to stay safe.
Ashley served as the assistant to the mayor of Collingdale Borough in 2021, and found immense joy working in the community she grew up in. In this role, she organized a job and resource fair, a senior citizens’ expo, and a Juneteenth program. Her favorite memory is delivering fresh produce to seniors in need who were unable to attend the food distribution events held outside of the Collingdale Community Center. In the spring of 2022, she started her job as a Family Services Representative at a local funeral home designing monuments and helping coordinate funeral and burial arrangements. After the loss of her sister a few months prior, Ashley was honored to work directly with families during their most vulnerable time.
Ashley joined the Darby Township Fire Company in the spring of 2022 with a desire to assist with fundraising and give back to her community. She eventually served as the company secretary and the board secretary, organized a successful fire prevention event, and spent countless hours training and learning. In the summer of 2023, Ashley graduated from the Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center with her National Certifications in Firefighter I and Hazardous Materials.
Most recently, Ashley has acted as a patient advocate and primary caregiver as her mom battled a critical illness and was hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit. During this time, she saw firsthand how short-staffed facilities can leave patients without the care they deserve and cause burnout for overworked healthcare professionals. With the ongoing crisis of hospital closures in Delaware County, she understands that this issue extends far beyond her own family. Ashley is planning to go back to school to become an Emergency Medical Technician while helping to care for her mom.
If elected as a State Committee Member, Ashley looks forward to fostering inclusive environments where safety and accountability are at the forefront of her contribution. She plans to help implement a progressive party platform where the focus is on ensuring a better quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.
PLATFORM
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Borders are man-made. We are all humans sharing this planet. Every single person, no matter where they live, deserves to be safe from harassment, kidnapping, and being separated from their loved ones. ICE has a track record of brutalizing, sexually assaulting, and killing the people they target. Treating another human as disposable because of the language they speak, the color of their skin, or the country they were born in is barbaric. Immigrants built our country, and diversity is what makes this country beautiful. It is our responsibility to protect our neighbors.
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We all deserve to live the highest quality of life possible. Anyone with any form of disability- whether visible or not- deserves to feel they are truly included and cared for in the ways that they need. We must realize our own body will change over time. We will all need some form of accommodations whether due to age, unexpected injuries, or another health condition.
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Quality, affordable healthcare is a human right. We should take care of one another, and to truly do that, we need to support healthcare systems that put the health of the patient - every patient - over profit. This means not having to choose between paying your health insurance bill or feeding your family. This means having a significantly lower provider-to-patient ratio to truly ensure every patient receives the care they deserve while also ensuring healthcare workers are working in conditions that allow them to deliver the best possible care. Legislators should consult a wide range of healthcare professionals as well as first-hand accounts from patients before deciding on what a safe ratio should be. Quality healthcare means reproductive rights are protected and respected. Quality healthcare is safe, timely, accessible, and equitable. Quality healthcare is inclusive. Anyone who is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to feel seen, safe, and supported in every space they’re in, especially healthcare environments.
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As stated when referencing the current patient-to-provider ratios in healthcare, we need to close the gap between what services we need and how attainable they are. If higher education wasn’t such an obstacle to pursue for so many, there could be more healthcare professionals to help lower those ratios. This applies to many more fields than healthcare. In February 2023, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that our state’s school funding system is unconstitutional which glaringly highlights the need for equitable funding reforms. If we ensure every student has the support they need to succeed through every level of schooling and the resources needed to apply to and attend college or trade school, we not only aid in their success, we create future generations who have more access to more resources. Every student deserves the same opportunities afforded to those privileged enough to be born into a wealthy family. This work is especially critical to me as a former student of William Penn School District, the lead plaintiff in Pennsylvania’s fair funding case.
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Everyone deserves to be able to meet their most basic needs - a safe home, clean water, nutritious food, utilities, reliable transportation, and any additional expense they face. No one should have to risk their physical or mental health by working multiple jobs while still struggling to get by. The cost of living continues to increase exponentially while our Federal and PA state minimum wage stagnates at $7.25 an hour, far below the 34 other states that have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage. Liveable wages should extend to social security and disability recipients the same - and being married shouldn’t affect how much a recipient receives.