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Health & Fitness

Electing a Greenwich Democratic Party Chair: Why who we choose matters

As we face an election for the Democratic Party Chair, who we select matters. I suggest we look at what our Democratic Party stands for as we seek the best candidate. Idealistic and characteristic differences and motivations between candidates running for office also matter because they become the face of our Party. Who we choose will be a matter of personal preference, but it’s also a factor of political gamesmanship. I propose some factors to consider in selecting our next leader and examining their plans for the direction in which they will take us as a Party.

It is evident that philosophical differences exist between Democratic and Republican ideals and priorities. People need to understand these differences and how they impact their everyday lives. When campaigning for State Representative, going door to door was an eye-opener, especially in our less affluent areas and in neighborhoods with large numbers of immigrants who had so much to gain or lose by their choices. The misinformation people believed was astonishing. It was quickly evident that Democrats have a long way to go to match GOP communication strategies. We never develop a unified Party line on any issue as do the GOP on all issues. Misinformation is rarely confronted or replaced with facts. Once a slogan or comment is made by the leadership of the GOP it spreads like wildfire across the country regardless of whether it has any basis in fact. It is a remarkable thing to see. As a Party we need to adopt this technique but I’d want to see the Democratic leadership rely on only slogans and discussion points that are factual and evidence-based. We pride ourselves on our strong and inclusive ethical stance on social and economic positions and we need to consistently back up our positions with data and records. Our veracity should be impeccable.

I’ve given much thought to where Democrats should be moving with Party elections pending.  We need to embody high visibility and inclusiveness. We need to expand the Greenwich Democratic Party and its brand year round. We need a sound marketing plan such as any good business would use, with measurable outcomes for established goals. Our GDTC leader needs to be held accountable for implementing platform goals. Democratic Party ideals must be tangible concepts for all our different multicultural, multilingual and socioeconomic groups here in Greenwich, because we value all of them; our wealthy, our middle class, our less affluent, our special-needs folks, our minorities and our many immigrant populations.

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Our Latino and minority populations are increasing rapidly in Greenwich. They are not one people but people of many nations and cultures and socioeconomic groups. We need to learn what is important to them and to inform them about local issues that impact them. We need to embrace them into our ranks, empower them, and show them how a Democratic Party alliance supports them. We need to facilitate voter registration and voting by mobilizing to assist them when that is needed. We need to bring the Democratic Party into their neighborhoods by partnering with people from their communities and institutions who know their cultures. We need to impart the value of Democratic goals to them in their language as well as English, as this is validating and welcoming. We are the Party of ALL our people.

National Republican leadership has been vocal about whom the GOP represents and values, and who they don't.  We should take advantage of their lapses in judgment in making their biases and prejudices so public. Many in Greenwich comprise the disenfranchised groups the GOP has diminished; those receiving housing assistance, low wage earners, people without access to affordable health care, and non-traditional families. We have increasing numbers of families falling on hard times right here in Greenwich who now need Medicaid, food stamps and food pantry goods, some for the 1st time in their lives. We have people who’ve been impacted by unemployment benefit cut-offs and food stamp reductions who have been left bereft of means to care for their families; Greenwich has many low and moderate income senior pensioners and veterans receiving VA-benefits...in other words we have many the GOP has labeled “the users”; those “47 percenters” and we should be openly embracing them and continually enlightening them on the different perspectives between the Democratic Party’s sense of responsibility to them and the Republican Party’s history of blocking legislation and actions that would have helped them during these very difficult economic times. Here in Greenwich our Town health and social services programs that serve them have been reduced. We need to actively recruit these people into our Party through campaigns that address how we better represent their needs and how we have and will continue to fight for them. We need them to know that their voices and their votes matter to us because we value them, and that when they cast their local votes it can make a difference in their daily lives. 

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Additional GDTC emphases should be to strengthen efforts to reach Party consensus on issues and to stop the recent cut-throat in-fighting; to develop and publicize realistic ideas and funding sources for growing and supporting our business district, harbor, and infrastructure and doing this throughout the year to support and spread our vision; consider parks, playgrounds, the pool, OGRCC, and the roads and neighborhoods of our less affluent citizens.

As we move to elect a new Chairman I suggest we prioritize strong leadership, capacity-building and collaboration characteristics. We need a consensus builder with an impeccable history of integrity who will work for and with our GDTC to find and support candidates and their initiatives. We need a visionary with a proven capacity for expanding the ranks, profile and visibility of the GDTC. Democratic leadership should prioritize year-round strategy development in order to efficaciously comport the Party; portraying a successful image appeals to the full range of Democratic-minded Greenwich citizens who come from all socioeconomic ranks and cultures. Finally, we need a financial and fundraising champion in a Party Leader who can motivate donors, inspire creative calls-to-action, and inspire attendance at DTC events so the Party portrays a winner’s image.  The visual appearance of Democratic headquarters vs. Republican headquarters each year is hard not to notice.

Most important of all, the Party Leader should be one who seeks the role not for personal glory or power, but to serve the people of our Party and the people of our Town in a selfless manner and who has the time, dedication and commitment to achieve the Democratic Party ideals through implementing our strategic plan.

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