As mentioned in a recent post, the DNC elected new officers in January. Although she did not seek reelection as Secretary, DNC members are happy to see our good friend Alice Germond continue to serve, as Secretary Emeritus. The new DNC Secretary, only the fourth person to hold that title since 1944, is Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Here is her message to DNC members:
I want to take a moment to let you know how excited I am about serving you and our fellow Democrats as Secretary of the Democratic National Committee. Serving you is a tremendous honor, and I look forward to working with you over the next four years as we stand together to support our President and our Party.
I want to thank Secretary Emeritus Alice Germond for her leadership over the last decade. It has been a pleasure to see how she has worked for our Party and please know that I am committed to building upon her legacy of service.
I also want to thank our Chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for being so incredibly insightful and supportive in these first few weeks. Through the work of our Chair, the other Officers, and members like you, our Party will do great things. My pledge is to be an advocate for you in the process.
I can only say that serving as Secretary of the Party seems like a natural progression in my journey as a proud Democrat. It is a journey that began when I was a little girl and always wanted to go to work with my Dad in Annapolis where he proudly served as a Democrat in the state legislature.
With service to others in mind, I worked hard and became the youngest person elected to the Baltimore City Council at age 25. Since then, I’ve continued that work being elected as President of the City Council and now currently with my election as Mayor of the City of Baltimore. I want you all to know that I will bring the same passion, determination, advocacy, and commitment to my role as Secretary.
Moving forward, we will continue communications from my office that I hope will help you in your role as a DNC member. As much as my schedule allows, I plan to get out on the road so that I can meet with you and be of any assistance I can provide. I am committed to working with each of you to move our Party forward and to ensuring that our Party functions are carried out in the best tradition of the DNC. So, please do not hesitate to contact me via my DNC office with any requests.
As I serve in this role, I am reminded of what President Obama said about the power of our voices on January 21st:
“You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.”
Over the next four years, I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you to be heard and to shape our Nation’s most crucial debates. Again, please contact me or my office should you need anything to continue the critical work of supporting our President and our Party as we move our Country forward.