Moving On to New Challenges

My dear fellow Democrats:

When Virginia Democrats attend our virtual state convention on June 20, 2020, we will elect five members of the Democratic National Committee. I wanted to let you know that I will not be seeking reelection to the DNC.

I look forward to completing my third term on the DNC, which expires at the end of our national convention. But one thing I learned as a Young Democrat is the importance of moving up and giving others an opportunity to lead, and we have a great group of DNC candidates. I thank everyone who has helped and worked with me over the years and I value our friendships and good memories.

I plan to continue to assist Virginia Democrats, and I would like to stay active in DNC rules issues in some capacity, and work to Protect the Vote nationally as well as in Virginia.

Looking back, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a Virginia Democratic volunteer for the past 40+ years. I have been honored to serve for nearly 30 years on the Democratic Party of Virginia State Central Committee, having been elected as a DNC member, Vice Chair for Rules, member of the 8th CD Democratic Committee, President of the Virginia Young Democrats, and Chair of the Virginia College Democrats. I also served on three local Democratic committees.

During that time I appreciated the opportunity to help elect Democrats to all levels of public office; advocate for progressive issues (especially making voting easier); provide guidance on party processes that are fair, open, democratic, and simple; build a strong voter protection program; and increase party transparency, including through the DemRulz website.

In particular, I valued my service on the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, where I advocated successfully for the inclusion of voter protection provisions in the national convention delegate selection rules for the first time, and supported the Unity Reform Commission changes (including re superdelegates). We also added High School Democrat representatives to the DNC. And I have tried to be an advocate for the disAbility community.

When I first set up DemRulz.org (thanks Steve Bunn), it was one of the few places on the web to find party rules information. Now, you can get the latest from the DNC and DPVA at their websites. I will try to do a better job updating DemRulz, but as always, you can keep current with @demrulz on twitter and Frank Leone on Facebook.

I still believe that Politics is a Good Thing and that the Democratic Party, its candidates, and its legislation bring about good government. This year, our democracy faces a great threat – now more than ever we need to work together to elect Democrats who will restore decency to our government and make it work to improve our lives.

Thanks again and take care.