The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee met at the Meyera Oberndorf Central Library on February 7, 2011. The committee was pleased to hear from Dr. Rudolph Wilson of Norfolk State University. He spoke on legislative redistricting, the process and the data used to determine how how districts will be drawn in the future, and how that may impact elections.
As Treasurer, I presented the budget approved by the Steering Committee to be approved by the full membership of the committee. There was some discussion about the need for additional fundraising activities, and I explained that I had presented some new ideas at the last Steering Committee meeting, and they were referred to the Finance Committee for review, and that it was likely they would be presented to the full committee once they were polished. The budget was unanimously approved. This was somewhat of an historic event, as this may be the first time a budget has been prepared and approved in at least five years.
There were some significant leadership changes for the VBDC approved at the meeting on Monday. Along with the resignation of Susan Mariner, there were other offices that needed to be filled, including the Vice Chair which was vacated by Paul Baker when he became Chair. The following individuals were recommended by Paul Baker, approved by the Steering Committee, and then approved by the City Committee on Monday. The approvals were unanimous.
Tyra Fitch is the new Vice Chair of the VBDC, replacing Paul Baker who became Chair. Tyra has been recognized as an outstanding Democratic volunteer and someone who has the support of a wide array of VBDC members.
Kyle Blankenship is the new Precinct & Elections Director, replacing Diana Cotter who resigned. Kyle is a well known Democratic activist who managed the city council campaign for Brian White, a Democrat, in Chesapeake and most recently worked as a field organizer for Congressman Glenn Nye’s campaign for reelection. Kyle has also served as President of the Virginia Beach Young Democrats. Not requiring approval, but very noteworthy, is that Jamal Gunn will be serving as Precinct & Elections Assistant Director. Jamal worked as a regional field organizer for President Barack Obama, and most recently worked as a field representative for Congressman Glenn Nye. Jamal also serves as the VBDC Sergeant-at-Arms.
Wil Harville is the new Fundraising & Events Director, replacing Marcy Fromberg who moved. Wil is a local attorney who became very active in the VBDC last year. He served as Communications Chair of the VBDC for a time prior to being recommended by Susan Mariner for Fundraising & Events Director.
Diana Cotter is the new Outreach Director, replacing Geraldine Hunt who resigned. Diana previously served as Precinct & Elections Director, and worked very hard to organize the VBDC’s effort in the 2010 election.
The new officers will serve the remainder of their predessesors terms until the election of members and officers at the next reorganization of the VBDC, which will occur in January 2012.
Since taking office as Treasurer of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee in 2010, I’ve felt the committee has been mired in it’s internal organization. I ran on a platform of modernization, professionalization, and progressive values. I believe we have made great strides in accomplishing those goals, many of which are being mimicked directly or indirectly by other committees and even the state party. There is still work to do on those fronts, but I firmly believe it’s time to start focusing outward rather than inward. We have to start reaching out to people, not just through campaigns, but as a committee. We have to find local Democrats, keep them informed, and get them active. In 2009, I argued that we don’t know who our base is locally. Today, I don’t feel we’ve done enough to rectify that. That needs to change.
We’ve had a lot of internal struggle with opposing factions with different priorities. This is natural and to be expected in theory. Organizing Democrats isn’t easy. We recognize and give value to varied points of view, try to build consensus where we can, and move forward using in a small-d democratic way. We can’t, however, continue to place these struggles as the center of what we do as the VBDC. Our primary objective is to elect Democrats, and that is an objective shared by all. The accomplishment of this objective benefits all involved. It’s more than past time to focus on what we’re doing to elect Democrats. We have to make that the primary focus of our meetings and decisions. In everything we do, we should ask ourselves how it helps us win elections. We should make these decisions democratically, and then work together to carry out those decisions. In other words, we need to move on, move forward, and win elections. Yes, we still have some internal issues to work on. We need to become more aligned with the Democratic Party of Virginia in structure and function. I look forward to working on that; however, I’ll be continually pushing not to just define who we are, but to define what we’re doing. I hope others will join me in making this a focus of this year.
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