Who joined Central Committees, and what did you you do?

[GregD]

I moved from the SF Bay Area (Marin) in May 2005 to Mount Shasta, CA. 3500' elevation - snow country - and surrounded by beautiful terrain and water everywhere. 35% Democrats, 45% Republicans, and a mix of other party affiliations.

By the Fall, I was attending meetings of the Central Committee, and in early 2006 I was added to their membership. As a member, I created www.siskiyoudemocrats.org and participated in other activities.

We supported a candidate for our Congressional district through the June primary, but he lost to a Democratic opponent who we could not enthusiastically support, so we focussed on Debra Bowen,local races, and tested a marketing strategy during the race to November.

We ran a voter registration booth at the Mount Shasta July 4th street festival, as well as the week-long Siskiyou County Fair in August. That led to the revelation of enough interest in the Democratic Party that we were actually able to open a new North County Democratic Club by September (we already had a club in the South County), and the North County club (with support from our Committee) opened a Democratic Headquarters by the 1st of October that was staffed 5-6 days per week for 5-6 weeks before the election.

What is significant about this is that this was the first time there was a physical presence for the Democratic Party in Siskiyou County (CD2, running from just above Sacramento to the Oregon border, directly adjacent to Dolittle's district) in many years. And the north part of our county is very conservative, and very Republican.

That new club will now continue to organize itself and build a campaign capability as we head for 2008.

Being a member of the Central Committee required a 1 evening per month commitment, plus whatever tasks we each accepted responsibility for. Eventually, we all agreed to meet twice per month in order to get more work done. But all-in-all, it was far from a taxing commitment, and really felt like we were making a difference.

I encourage any of you who are not taking a leadership role in our area to consider doing so. It was fun, didn't take that much time, and I ended up being rewarded with a bunch of new friends.

GD

[longship]

1. Our county committee here is locked-in.

They don't want and don't care about newbies.

I tried to get involved at the committee level and was informed that it's pretty difficult to break into the club. This is in spite of the fact that I am a previous county officer and state delegate (in another state).

This kind of thing is just too damned bad. Makes me sick.

[Earth_First]

4. Likewise here...

In fact our local committee is run by a group of snowbirds. We organized a group of 'newbies' here about this time last year. It got to the point where I gave up participation, and focused my efforts elsewhere directly with the campaigns. I found out recently that the committee chairperson has decided to relinquish his position, and the committee is finally turning around to welcoming new membership, so we'll see how it goes.

Good luck with you!

[murielm99]

2. I have been part of our Central Committee

for about six years. I am a precinct committeeman and our committee treasurer. That means I do the campaign finance disclosure for our committee.

We march in parades and table at local and county events. We hold an annual fundraiser, and support local and state Democratic candidates financially, up to $1,000.00 per candidate. This year, we rented a headquarters during election season. This gave us a central place to hold our meetings, host events for candidates, and meet with volunteers. We provided a place to gather for those who were walking precincts and calling voters. We provided literature and signs for Democratic candidates. Volunteers could pick up those items at our headquarters.

I live in a very red part of Illinois. But our area is changing. We will continue to be a presence for all new Democrats in our area, and for those who finally see that the republican party is not their father's republican party any more.

Whenever this topic arises, I see posts that condemn the established local committees. Someone always gripes about them being cliquish and insular. Many people here complain that they are just for older people.

I attended meetings and fundraisers for quite a long time before anyone asked me to become more involved. They had to get to know me, and I had to get to know them. I learned to respect the older people who have spent years cultivating relationships around the state and building an organization. I learned which of the existing members had time and expertise to share. I figured out that it is just human nature to rely on the same handful of volunteers. And I found out just how many people will volunteer, and then fail to show up to do what they said they will do.

I have heard some of our younger members complain that they could do a better job than our chairman. I know from working with him that he has spent years building relationships with the unions, and with most of the local Democratic politicians in our area. He knows Democratic lawyers who will help us, and he knows chairmen all over the state. He knows many people in our state government. It will be a long time before I know half of what he knows.

Our chairman, like many of our older members, is computer illiterate. The younger and newer members of our committee know that a web presence is imperative for a central committee, and for candidates. That is one way they can help. One of our young guys updated our website. Our secretary sends the minutes out to all members that have e-mail. We have other members who write LTTEs, and do Internet research on political topics. One lady even obtained a fax machine for our chairman (we reimbursed her) and taught him how to use it.

I learn a lot from DU. But being a keyboard commando does not win elections. Kudos to you for doing something to help Democrats in your area.

[GregD]

3. Thanks murielm99 - others?

I'm really hoping this thread could teach me and others how they made a difference in the past year. We all have more party building we can do in the future, and I'd love to hear your stories.