WDMC Meeting - 13 February 2006

The monthly meeting of the Wake Democratic Men's Club was held on February 13, 2006 at the Clarion Hotel on Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. The meeting was well-attended by Club members and other interested Democrats. Attendees enjoyed socializing with fellow Democrats before dinner was served at 6:30 PM.

A little after 7 PM, Club President Richard Rudy called the meeting to order. President Rudy asked all office holders, office seekers, and new members to introduce themselves. Tim Dumas, a magician and entertainer who will perform at the Club's annual Reverse Raffle (to be held June 17, 2006 at the NCSU University Club, Hillsborough St., Raleigh), introduced himself and gave a brief overview of the services he offers.

President Rudy noted that Judge Heman Clark was not able to attend tonight's meeting. Al Adams informed the Club that Judge Clark is recovering from his injuries and is now "up and about." We wish Judge Clark a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to WDMC at the earliest possible date.

Wake County Democratic Party Chairman Keith Karlsson thanked WDMC for its recent $500 contribution to the annual Valetines Day Fundraiser. Chairman Karlsson stated that the Fundraiser was highly successful and thanked all who contributed.

President Rudy then introduced Grier Martin, our "master of ceremonies" for the guest speaker portion of the meeting. Grier Martin is the Democratic incumbent in NC House District 34, representing Wake County. Mr. Martin successfully challenged a Republican incumbent in the 2004 general election to win his seat, and is seeking re-election this year. He made the transition from concerned citizen to elective office holder. All of our guest speakers seek to do the same, and all face a Republican incumbent in their bid for office.

Representative Martin introduced our guest speakers in the following order:

1. Greer Beaty, Democratic candidate in NC House District 36.
   
2. Ty Harrell, Democratic candidate in NC House District 41.
   
3. Ed Ridpath, Democratic candidate in NC House District 37.
   
4. Chris Mintz, Democratic candidate in NC House District 41.
   

Each of our speakers was given a few minutes to provide the Club with some biographical information, their qualifications, and their motivation for running for office. All candidates expressed a desire to improve government – via public service - for their fellow North Carolinians. They were unanimous in their belief that we, as Democrats, must field viable candidates for all offices on the ballot in this upcoming election cycle. The candidates touched upon other themes as well: the importance (and difficulty!) of raising money, the necessity to remain true to one's core beliefs, the obligation to "give back" to the community, the desire to run an issues-oriented campaign free from personal attacks, the acknowledgment that Democratic challengers face long odds in some districts, and the importance of adopting positions favored by the "mainstream" and unaffiliated voter.

Our speakers then accepted questions from the floor. Topics discussed included the rationale behind the choice of particular office sought, minimum wage/living wage, financing a successful campaign and campaign finance reform, and the experience that qualifies candidates for office. Grier Martin exhorted Club members to actively support their favorite candidate(s). He also stressed the importance of "moving on" after the election is over and continuing to strive for the enactment of Democratic positions and policies.

Upon the conclusion of the guest speaker portion of the meeting, President Richard Rudy again introduced magician Tim Dumas. Tim delighted the Membership with a funny story of an office seeker looking for a campaign manager. He then did a card trick in which three cards – which were originally all different – were somehow all transformed into a King of Hearts. Hmmmmmm....how did he do that?!!

Richard Rudy then presented some business items for consideration by the Membership.

1. The Nominating Committee will meet in March, and report back to the Membership in April. Elections for Club offices will be held in May, and installation of officers and directors will be held in June.
   
   
2. Dues for calendar year 2006 are now due and payable, and are $20/yr.
   
   
3. A change to Club Bylaws, Article 3, Section 2, which allows female Democrats residing in Wake County to become full voting members of WDMC, was unanimously approved on a voice vote.
   
   
4. A change to Club Bylaws, Article X, which requires Club officers who file for elective office to resign their position, was unanimously approved on a voice vote.
   
   
5. A silent moment of reflection was held to honor the life (and recent passing) of Coretta Scott King.
   
   
6. Keith Karlsson reminded the Membership that annual precinct meetings are to be held on February 16 and February 20, the venues of which are based (for the first time) on NC House districts.
   
   
7. Grier Martin drew the winning raffle ticket. The winner was Chris Telesca, who returned his winnings to the Club. Pete Leary reported that all 60 raffle tickets were sold.
   
   
8. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 PM.
   

Submitted by Jay Sable, WDMC Secretary, sablejb@nc.rr.com