MY FELLOW AND SISTER DEMOCRATS,
WELCOME TO THE FIRST FULL COUNTY COMMITTEE MEETING IN 2012.

WE HAVE AN EXCITING YEAR BEFORE US, BUT BEFORE WE GET TO 2012, WE MUST KNOW WHERE WE HAVE

BEEN. SO, TODAY I AM PRESENTING YOU WITH THE STATE OF THE PARTY REPORT.

A FEW DAYS AGO AT THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS WE HEARD OUR PRESIDENT, LAY OUT A CLEAR

VISION FOR OUR COUNTRYS FUTURE. HE DID SO BY FIRST TELLING THE COUNTRY WHERE WE CAME

FROM, WHERE WE ARE HEADING AND WHERE HE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS COUNTRY IN THE NEXT FOUR

YEARS. IT IS A STARK ALTERNATIVE TO THE REPUBLICAN VIEW OF OUR COUNTRY. BUT THEY LIVE

IN A WORLD OF THE VERY WEALTHY, AND WE DEMOCRATS LIVE IN REALITY.

WE STARTED OUR JOURNEY TOGETHER A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.

LAST YEAR WAS OUR ADMINISTRATION’S FIRST TIME ORGANIZING THE COUNTY ELECTIONS. WE HAVE

SO VERY MUCH TO BE PROUD OF. WE FILED A NEARLY COMPLETE TICKET, WITH ALL WELL QUALIFIED

AND ARTICULATE CANDIDATES.

THE COUNTY STOOD BEHIND ITS CANDIDATES BY PURCHASING JOINT PALM CARDS AND JOINT SIGNS, WE

DID SOME RADIO, A 11,000 PIECE MAILER TO APATHATIC DEMOCRATIC VOTERS AND WE DID A KNOCK

AND DRAG EFFORT IN MANY AREAS OF THE COUNTY. WE RAISED WELL OVER $28000 LAST YEAR FOR

THESE EFFORTS.

WE WON A COUNCIL SEAT IN BERRYSBURG, IN STEELTON, AND SEVERAL IN SUSQUEHANNATWP AS WELL

AS SWEEPING ALL DEMOCRATS INTO COUNCIL IN THE CITY OF HARRISBURG AND A CITY TREASURER.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE HAD INDIVIDUAL SLATE CARDS PRINTED FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL

MUNICIPALITY.

IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF OUR PARTY LETTING EVERY DEMOCRAT AND REBULICAN KNOW, WE MEAN

BUSINESS,

AND WHILE WE WERE UNSUCCESSFULL IN ELECTING COUNTY OFFICIALS LAST YEAR, WE HAVE JUST

BEGUN OUR REORGANIZATION.

OUR GOAL IS CLEAR: WE ARE PREPARING TO TAKE OVER THE COURTHOUSE IN 2015.

FIRST I HAVE APPOINTED FORMER JUDGE JOSEPH SOLOMON TO EDUCATE OUR DISTRICT LEADERS, WHICH

HE HAS STARTED AND WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON YOU THE COMMITTEEPERSON.

YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT DEMOCRAT IN YOUR DISTRICT, YOU ARE THE FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC

PARTY, SO WHAT YOU DO REPRESENTS ALL DEMOCRATS, BUT IF YOU DO NOTHING, OR IF YOU CAN’T

MOTIVATE YOUR APATHETIC VOTERS, AND GET THEM TO THE POLLS, IF YOU CANNOT BUY TICKETS TO

RAISE MONEY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION, IF YOU CANNOT MAKE PHONE CALLS OR CANVAS, OR FIND

PEOPLE TO CANVAS, YOU ARE HARMING OUR DEMOCRATIC EFFORTS AND THAT IS A BIG REASON YOU

HAVE BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH LOSING.

I DON’T LIKE TO LOSE. AND I DON’T THINK YOU DO EITHER. FIRST WE ARE SETTING A NEW

REGISTRATION GOAL. CURRENTLY WE ARE 7,000 REGISTRATIONS AHEAD. AS WE ALL KNOW THAT MEANS

NOTHING. SO IN THIS NEXT YEAR WE WANT TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER BY 10,000 REGISTRATIONS.

EVELYN HENDERSON WILL LEAD THAT EFFORT.

WE ALSO WILL BE LOOKING FOR DEMOCRATS WHO WANT TO WORK AND WIN, WHO RECOGNIZE THAT

WINNING THE PRESIDENCY THIS YEAR FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE SENATE FOR SENATOR CASEY,

ARE STEPPING STONES TO GET US TO OUR ULTIMATE GOAL OF WINNING THE COURTHOUSE. BUT THESE

ARE PRE-GAMES FOR US SO WE NEED TO HAVE A GET OUT THE VOTE DRIVE LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE

EVERY SEEN BEFORE. THAT IS WHY OUR NEW FINANCE CHAIRMAN FORMER SECRETARY OF DEP, JOHN

HANGER, HAS MAPPED OUT A PLAN FOR US TO RAISE $50,000 FOR VOTER REGISTRATION AND GETTING

OUT THE VOTE IN NOVEMBER. BUT HE IS AN IMPORTANT MAN, WITH OTHER TASKS FOR THE FUTURE,

SO HE WILL SERVE ON OUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ONLY UNTIL THE END OF APRIL AS OUR FINANCE

CHAIR.

I ALSO WANT TO MENTION THAT HOMER FLOYD A MAN WITH A NATIONAL REPUTATION AND FORMER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION NOW IS OUR GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN.

SO, MY FRIENDS, THE STATE OF THE PARTY IS IMPROVING, WE HAVE GOALS , WE ARE ALL ON THE

SAME TEAM AND WE ALL KNOW, WE MAY HAVE COME TO THIS COUNTRY ON DIFFERENT BOATS, BUT NOW

WE SINK OR SWIM IN THE SAME BOAT .

WE ARE ONE PARTY, UNDER G-D, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.