VB Dems

Today, the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee announced details on their biannual reorganization. Every two years, both the membership and officers of the committee are elected. Reorganization provides the VBDC with an opportunity to set new priorities, chose new leadership, and move in new directions.

This reorganization should prove to be somewhat different than in the past. There will be additional focus on organizing at the precinct level with the understanding that all committee members should have a role and responsibility in building the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach so that the local Party brings value to the table when recruiting and supporting Democratic candidates at all levels.

A related change that may be noticed is the clarification that not all Democrats in Virginia Beach need to be members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee. The committee is the leadership organization of the Party, and not the Party itself. Following the example of the Democratic Party of Virginia, the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach is made up of all residents of Virginia Beach who believe in the principles of the Democratic Party. One of the major tasks that the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee should undertake is the identification of these residents in order to keep them informed and ask for their support.

To summarize so far; those interested in working directly to build the Democratic Party and win campaigns should become members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, and those  interested in staying informed and providing support should identify themselves as a member of the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach. There has never been a process for identifying yourself as a Democrat to the VBDC, but I would expect that to be in place after reorganization is complete in January. For now, the best option is to subscribe to the mailing list of the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach.

A Nominating Committee has been established to give a report of nominees for each office of the VBDC Steering Committee. Nominations will also be taken from the floor. All 2012-2014 members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee will be eligible for nomination and to vote for officers. The officers to be elected are as follows:

Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Outreach Director
Finance Director
Precinct & Elections Director
Candidate Recruitment Director

Any persons interested in being considered by the Nominating Committee for any office should email Sandra Brant, Chairwoman of the Nominating Committee. Current officers are listed on the VBDC website.

Key Dates:

December 8th at 7:00 PM, Meyera Oberndorf Central Library
Unassembled Caucus to Elect 2012-2014 Members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee

January 9th at 7:00 PM, Meyera Oberndorf Central Library
Election of Officers of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee

Share on Facebook

From Virginia Beach Progressives

Adrianne Bennett, a local attorney and Democrat, is challenging Republican Ron Villanueva this November in the 21st House of Delegates District.

Adrianne Bennett grew up in Virginia Beach, attended public schools and Cape Henry Collegiate. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Sociology. She studied law at the University of Baltimore, graduated cum laude with her juris doctorate. Adrianne has dedicated her legal career to serving the under-served.

Ron Villanueva was elected to the House of Delegates in 2009, beating Bobby Mathieson by only 16 votes. It isn’t an over exaggeration to say that the 21st District is winnable for Democrats this year looking at past performance and some general apathy by some who have supported Villanueva in the past. If Democrats can rally behind Bennett’s candidacy, it’s very possible that they can pick up this seat. Democrats don’t currently hold any House of Delegates seats primarily representing Virginia Beach.

Adrianne Bennett spoke at the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee’s May breakfast and at their annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner on June 2nd, where she stressed that he reasons for running boiled down to making sure that Virginia Beach is a place where her child and all children would want to live when they grow up, saying that she is dedicated to making sure children have access to quality education, from early childhood to college, and to working to make sure there are opportunities in Virginia Beach to have good jobs and safely raise families of their own.

Bennett is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee’s Third Thursday Dinner and Social on June 16 at Kelly’s Hilltop Tavern at 6:00 p.m.

Share on Facebook

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.

Share on Facebook

The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee had its first meeting of the new year last evening at the Meyera Oberndorf Central Library. While this is not the official blog of the VBDC, and while I am not writing in my capacity as an officer of the VBDC on this blog, I wanted to post some items of interest. Posting an update may or may not become a monthly thing. We’ll see!

Resignation of Susan Mariner as Chair of the VBDC: This was sort of announced in a passive way at the DPVA Central Committee meeting last month, but Paul Baker officially announced at last evening’s meeting that Susan Mariner, who was elected Chair in December 2009, has resigned. He read the letter of resignation, signed by Susan, where she wrote:

It’s been a great blessing and a privilege to serve as the Chair of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, and I’m proud of the new heights we have reached together over the past year. At this point, however, my career has taken an unforeseen turn, and my schedule will be extremely unpredictable. As such, I believe it is in the best interests of the Committee that I step aside as Chair. My resignation is effective immediately. Please know that I will continue to be active within the Committee as my new schedule permits. – Susan Mariner, 12/29/2010

I, for one, am saddened at Susan’s resignation. On many metrics, the VBDC had a record breaking year in 2010, and much of that should be credited to Susan’s work. Nobody can say she didn’t work hard, and isn’t deserving of our gratitude for her service.

Paul Baker, who has served as Vice Chair under Susan, will assume the office of Chair, which was his option as granted by the bylaws of the VBDC. Paul is looking forward to working with all levels of the Party to make the VBDC a more significant part of Democratic successes in Virginia Beach.

Other Shifts in Leadership:Former VBDC Chair Lauralee Grim was appointed by Paul Baker to serve as the Parliamentarian, and Jamal Gunn was appointed as Sergeant at Arms. These appointments do not require further approval. Paul Baker also announced his intention to appoint Wil Harvell as Fundraising & Events Chair and Kyle Blakenship as Precincts & Elections Chair. These appointments must be approved by the Steering Committee and the General Membership. Paul must also appoint a Vice Chair of the VBDC, which will also be subject to approval for the Steering Committee and General Membership.

Treasury Report for 2010: The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee began 2010 with a balance of $5,659.56 and ended the year with $7,670.25, an increase of $2010.69. The total income was $11,882.76 and total expenses were $9,872.06. A large portion of income and expenses were budget neutral, with money being raised and spent for specifics such as charitable donations and fundraisers for other committees. As far as actual spending goes, the VBDC was very conservative in 2010. This paired with the lack of  large fundraisers, made for a year of extremely modest financial growth. There were some questions regarding the specifics of what and how money was spent in 2010. Those wishing additional details were asked to utilize reports filed with and available from the Virginia State Board of Elections, to which a link will be added to the VBDC website, and specific inquiries regarding the process by which expenditures were made should be made to Joel McDonald, Treasurer, or to the Steering Committee.

Committee Formed to Report on Petition of Grievances: A petition of grievances was filed with the 2nd Congressional District Committee, which was given to the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee to be handled. Paul Baker has appointed a committee to handle and report out on the petition, working with the signers of the petition, and other nessesary individuals. Members of this committee are Former VBDC Chairs Lauralee Grim and Ollie Bates; and longtime VBDC members Vivian Blaize, Kelvin Sealy and Carolyn Rye. Many of the grievances listed in the petition have to do with disagreements arising from the revising of the VBDC bylaws earlier in 2010, or general disagreements about how the VBDC did or should function. An electronic copy of the petition will be made available by request of VBDC members through the website at http://www.vbdemocrats.org.

Become a 2011 Member of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee: The VBDC is accepting applications for memberships and membership dues. The application may be completed and dues paid entirely online for the first time ever, but the option of printing out a paper form and paying dues in person or by mail is still available. Membership in the VBDC ensures that Democrats stay involved, up to date, and have a voice in the direction of the local Party. To become a member, please visit http://www.vbdemocrats.org/about/become-a-member/.

The next meeting of the Virginia Beach Democratic Party will take place on Monday, February 7th at 7:00 at the Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library (Libris Room), 4100 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Share on Facebook

Join the VBDC tomorrow Saturday April 10, 9:30am at BB&T Building, Suite 302, 5101 Cleveland Street, for a special training session:

“Virginia Beach Democrats need to dominate the other side of the aisle in digital communications!

Whether you have never visited a political blog or Facebook or you’re a master of the tweet, please plan to attend this valuable workshop. We’ll meet everyone where they are in terms of skill level. Social media is a free and very powerful political organizing tool. If you have a laptop, please bring it with you. We’ll bring the doughnuts and coffee!

Our special guest will be Ben Tribbett, the blogger who broke the George Allen “Macaca” story that went worldwide.”

I wish I could be in two places at the same time. I’m otherwise attending the 2010 Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Center Annual Summit in Hampton tomorrow morning. But have fun!

Share on Facebook

From Vivian Paige comes a horrible story of Democrats gone haywire.

Pictured above is one Norfolk Councilman Randy Wright – on the left wearing a McCain/Palin sticker and standing with Norfolk GOP Chairwoman Pam Brown, and on the right grinning with Sen. Mark Warner who is hosting a fundraiser for Wright on March 19.

The pic on the left is from a Pilot article entitled “McAuliffe’s Man. “”Yup, I was there,” Wright said when I asked him about the picture in my files. “I voted for McCain-Palin. And I love Sarah Palin… she knew how to talk to regular people.”

Seven months later Wright becomes “McDonnell’s Man” and he’s rumored to be supporting Scott Rigell for Congress. Yet all the constitutional officers in Norfolk call themselves “Democrats” and all have endorsed Randy Wright. Egads!

As Vivian writes “a close reading of the Virginia Democratic Party Plan shows that the section which deals with ousting of party members when they support another candidate (Sec. 10.8) only comes into play if the candidate is the party nominee”. Norfolk’s races are non-partisan thus there isn’t a party nominee on the ballot. “This loophole needs to be closed”, she writes. “The Party Plan should treat endorsees just like nominees”.

What a mess, especially considering a really great Democrat, Tommy Smiegel, is also running for that Ward 5 seat. And WTF is Mark Warner’s problem???

Share on Facebook

The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a petition calling for the Virginia Beach City Council to pick a “highly qualified minority” to replace Ron Villanueva. They argued that such a large city as Virginia Beach should be inclusive and therefore reflective of the city’s rich diversity.

The VBDC writes: “According to 2008 US Census Bureau statistics, more than 87,000 of Virginia Beach’s citizens, or 20% of the population, is African American. Virginia Beach’s 26,000 Latino residents comprise 6% of our population, and Asian Americans make up over 5% of Virginia Beach’s citizenry. The total minority population in Virginia Beach, including people who classify themselves as being of mixed racial heritage, is 39%, or more than 173,000 people.”

I refused to sign this petition. Calling for such a quota of minority representation does a disservice to the cause. At every juncture in our democratic process, minorities have been given the same opportunity as non-minorities to run for and/or be appointed to Virginia Beach City Council.

Raising an awareness to the need for inclusiveness is fine and certainly if City Council representation stayed all white through multiple elections, we’d have a problem in need of a solution and then perhaps a call for a quota.

The appointment process as opposed to the election process is a little different. It was the Mayor’s and Council’s pick as opposed to the people’s pick. And Council picked a candidate (Rita Sweet Belito) that the people had picked in a previous election (at large School Board).

It’s interesting now to see the VBDC’s reaction to this pick. Is Rita Sweet Bellitto indeed a minority? Did Council satisfy the VBDC’s petition? In her interview, she mentioned that her Puerto Rican grandmother taught her, “there’s no substitute like hard work.” With that statement, Councilman Glenn Davis then surmissed that she was therefore of Puerto Rican descent. Kudos then to Mr. Davis for recognizing Puerto Rican as a race and allowing City Council to check off the Democrats as therefore being satisfied with their pick.

Can you see now the comedy of errors this petition set off?

The issue for Beach Democrats is not the recruitment of good minority candidates. Andrew Jackson and Georgia Allen stand out in my mind as good examples. The problem is our organization that can’t get any Democratic candidate – black, white, red or purple – elected.

Share on Facebook

As J. Tyler Ballance points out in post comments, “[i]n just two weeks, Dr. Fleming was able to mobilize over two thousand voters to vote for him. His Republican opponent, Mr. McWaters, who is a retired health insurance gatekeeper, had to spend nearly a million dollars to muster 8,051 votes, the LOWEST turn-out for a Republican in the Eighth District in over thirty years!” Worth mentioning is how over $450,000 of that near $ million was personal loans McMoneybags made to his own campaign.

Less than 9% of district voters turned out at the polls yesterday. McWaters can talk “landslide” all he wants but he’s an idiot if he thinks he was sent a mandate. The fact that he had an opponent there to ruin Christmas for him is evidence alone that McWaters owes his election to a very tiny set of supporters, which in no way represents the larger interests and diversity of the 8th district. “Make no mistake, I am a conservative republican but my door will be open to all, republican, democrat or independent,” he writes. Considering the disgracefully insulting way he slammed on liberals during the campaign, that door may be open but the office empty for us.

“All Virginians should thank Dr. Bill Fleming for carrying the Democratic banner in this special election and for him providing the citizens of Virginia Beach a choice; a choice of continued hope and change for moving Virginia back onto the road to prosperity”, writes Ballance. Fine words, indeed.

Thank you, Bill, for stepping up and carrying the progressive Democratic mantle in Virginia Beach. It is such a thrill to know that we can instantly invigorate over 2,000 folks to the polls on a cold January day. With new leadership at the helm of the VBDC, let’s quickly make that 4,000 folks. Let’s do the outreach to the other half of Virginia Beach (the 7th Senate district) and have 8,000 folks supporting our new progressive wave here in Virginia Beach. See what you started, Bill?! I’m so proud of you and so proud to be a Virginia Beach Democrat! Our time will come thanks to brilliant leaders such as yourself!

Share on Facebook

With nearly 130 of the VBDC active voting members crammed into a little room at Bayside Library, Democrats came out in force to elect its 2010-2012 officers. Of the competitive races, Joel McDonald beat Louis Stadlin for VBDC Treasurer and Susan Mariner beat Sylvia Ellis for VBDC Chairman.

Susan was the DNC regional organizer for the Hampton Roads area from 2007 to July 2008. After that she was assigned by the DNC to the Obama campaign where she directed constituency outreach. Susan didn’t list it on her profile handout, but in early 2009 she was employed by Terry McAuliffe in his primary campaign for governor. It was perhaps not list because she knows she regrettably practiced in some hurtful divisive politics. She has hopefully learned the errors of her ways as she now takes over the helm of the VBDC.

Congrats, Susan! I look forward to working with you on the things I love most… communications and issues advocacy.

Share on Facebook

On Wednesday, January 6, 7pm at Bayside Library, the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee will be holding elections for its officers. We here at VB Dems have invited each of the candidates for contested office to submit a profile of themselves for posting here.

The complete list of nominees is here. Individuals eligible to vote are current with their 2010 dues and voted in as a new member at the Dec. 9, 2009 VBDC meeting.

Our candidate profiles include:
For Chairman: Sylvia Ellis and Susan Mariner
For Treasurer: Joel McDonald and Louis Stadlin

Please pose questions to any one candidate in the comments section of their individual profile posts. The candidates have been instructed to check their posts periodically and post answers to your questions.

Share on Facebook

Hi.

My name is Lou Stadlin and I am running for Treasurer of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee. The election will be held on Wednesday January 6 at 7PM sharp at the Bayside Public Library on Independence Blvd.

I am running because I want to make the VBDC a greater force in politics in Virginia Beach and as far out as we can reach.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I joined the Navy in 1947 and spent 5 years as a sailor. The Navy gave me my career as a Electronic Technician.

I was in business for 30 years in selling and servicing Marine Electronic equipment to the offshore fishing fleets in Hampton Roads and the East coast.

I am a widower. I was married for 36 years. I have 4 children- a girl, a boy and a set of twin boys.

I am a life long Democrat. I only strayed twice – Eisenhower and Senator John Warner.

I have a computer and know how to operate a spread sheet and usually can add one and one and not get 3.

I am asking for your vote so I can do what I can to move the VBDC forward.

Lou Stadlin

Share on Facebook

Happy New Year!

As we’re winding down our holiday season, we now look forward to January 6th and the election of the members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee Steering Committee. Every nominee for your consideration brings a wealth of experience, varied talents, and strengths to the table. I am confident that the new leadership of the committee will make us a stronger and more competitive party locally.

Many of you I’ve met, and some I’ve not yet had the opportunity to meet. In this email, with the election just a few days away, I wanted to share a little about myself with you.

(more…)

Share on Facebook

It’s posts like this that make me want to shelve the Democratic Party of Virginia. Egads! Is this the best we can do? Really? If it wasn’t for my consideration of the source, I’d almost want to give up political blogging as well.

It wasn’t until I moved to Virginia Beach four years ago that I became a lot more focused on what exactly it is that the DPVA does (or doesn’t do). My Loudoun County Democratic Committee operated superbly and we relied on the DPVA very little. In VB, I’ve always looked to the DPVA as ideally one to counsel the barely breathing local committee. It’s turned out to be a blind-leading-the-blind situation. (more…)

Share on Facebook

The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee’s Steering Committee recently met and nominated the following candidates with a term of office from January 2010 to December 2011:

Chair: Sylvia Ellis and Susan Mariner

Vice Chair: Paul Baker

Secretary: Bill Fleming

Treasurer: Lou Stadlin and Joel McDonald

Outreach: Geraldine Hunt

Precincts and Elections: Carol Shrader

Fundraising and Events: Marcy Fromberg

Candidate Recruitment: Eric Schmudde

Election of Officers will take place at Bayside Library on January 6, 2010 at 7:00 PM. Only members in good standing who have paid their 2010 dues by December 9, 2009 are qualified to vote.

Share on Facebook