Wake County Democratic Party News

Hosted by:
Democratic Women of Wake County
Wake County Democratic Party
Democratic Men
Senior Democrats
Young Democrats
Progressive Democrats

The program speakers will be U.S. Senate candidates:
NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall
Former NC State Senator Cal Cunningham
Attorney Kenneth Lewis
(All Democratic candidates have been invited)

DATE:Wednesday, March 24, 2010
TIME: Registration & Cash Bar - 5:30pm
Dinner - 6:15pm
Program - 6:45pm
LOCATION: Clarion Hotel State Capital
320 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh
COST: $20.00 payable at the door

*Advance reservations are required*
Reservation deadline is Friday, March 19, 2010
For reservations email info@dwwc.net or call 782-1272

Thanks to all of you who braved the elements last week for our annual precinct organization meetings. We aren't done yet!

Your precinct may have scheduled its own meetings, outside of last week's group meetings.

Or, your precinct may have missed quorum last week due to scheduling issues.

In either case, you should check our Precincts tool periodically for updates. We'll post updates there.

The State Executive Committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party will meet on
Saturday, March 6th, in the Grand Ballroom, sections B & C of the Marriott Durham Convention Center, at 201 Foster Street, Durham, North Carolina 27701.

The meeting will begin at 1:00 P.M. Registration will begin at 11:30 A.M.

This is a rescheduling of the SEC Meeting originally planned for February 13th.

Your attendance at this meeting is very important.

Visit http://www.ncdp.org/ for additional information.

A proxy form is attached in case you need someone to attend in your place.

Our annual precinct meetings start next week. These meetings are critical to our ongoing efforts to organize our county and win elections.

Most of our meetings are scheduled as group meetings on March 2nd and 4th at central locations across the county. However, a few precinct chairs have requested and been approved for alternate dates and meeting locations.

The full list of meeting dates and locations by precinct is available for download here.

Or, wait for tomorrow's newsletter to find out how to access your precinct online.

UPDATED 02/25/2010 -- The meeting schedule is now online.

We are only a day away from our most important event of the year -- the ANNUAL VALENTINE’S DAY FUNDRAISER!

WHEN:

Friday, February 12th, 5:30PM- 8:30 PM

WHERE

NC Association of Educators Building

700 South Salisbury Street

Raleigh, NC

TICKET PRICE:

In advance: $25.

At the door: $30.

This year’s fundraiser promises to be the best ever, with great homemade food, socializing with our fellow Democrats and a chance to hear from the state’s Democratic elected officials.

Governor Beverly Perdue is our Keynote Speaker. We'll also honor Eugene & Wilma Weeks as "Sweethearts of the Year" and Al & Betty Adams will be honored as the Ronnie Condrey Mentoring Award recipient.

At only $25 per ticket (in advance), this event is a real bargain!

The Valentine’s Day Fundraiser provides the bulk of the operating expenses for our county party. Without this event, we would be unable to support the "nuts and bolts" of party operation such as staffing the party office, supporting our grassroots organizations or communicating party slates to voters.

Hope to see you there!

It isn't too late to sponsor our 30th Annual Wake County Democratic Party Valentine's Day Fundraiser. Although the invitations have been printed, sponsors will be recognized in the program.

Sponsorship Levels are:

• $1000 - Millennium
• $500 - Trustee
• $250 - Patron
• $180 - 180 Club
• $100 - Century

Donations are accepted online or by check. For more information, call Tammy Brunner at (919) 828-5656 or by email at admin@wakedems.org.

The 30th Annual Wake County Democratic Party Valentine's Day Fundraiser will be held on February 12, 2010 at the NCAE Building, 700 S. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC from 5:30pm - 8:00pm.

When: February 12, 2010
Where: NCAE Building, 700 S. Salisbury Street, Raleigh
Time: 5:30 pm - 8:pm.

As you know Wake County is under attack by the extreme right. Actions by the new Wake County School Board and the GOP-Three of the Wake County Commission are clear signs as to how ruthless and desperate the Right has become in Wake County. 2010 is our year to protect Wake County and all of North Carolina by winning seats in the General Assembly, Wake County Commission, etc…. We need your help to achieve these goals.

The Valentine Fundraiser Sponsorship levels are $1000, $500, $250, $180 and $100 tickets are $25
U who donate $1,000 per year. In exchange for this annual donation (which may be paid in quarterly installments or monthly
),
Millennium Club members will become both a Wake Sustaining Club member AND a Passport Patron member of the State Party. A donation at this level will also entitle such members to:
*Be recognized as a Millennium Sponsor for the Wake Valentine’s Day Fundraiser and receive 8 tickets;
*Be recognized as a Sponsor at the Wake County Democratic Women’s Jefferson-Jackson breakfast and receive tickets;
*Be recognized as a Sponsor at the Wake County Young Democrats annual P.R. Latta dinner and receive tickets;
*Be recognized as a Sponsor at the Wake County Democratic Men’s annual meeting to recognize Wake Democratic heroes and receive tickets;
*Serve as a Sponsor to the Wake Labor Day Picnic and receive tickets;
*As a Passport Patron Member, attend the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner and receive 1 ticket to the dinner and 1 ticket to the reception and
*As a Passport Patron Member, attend the annual Vance-Aycock dinner and receive 1 ticket to the dinner and 1 ticket to the reception.
*As a Passport Patron Member, receive 1 ticket to either the Holiday Reception or Legislative Reception at the Goodwin House.

Sustaining Club Sponsors who donate $500 per year. In exchange for this annual donation, Sustaining Club members will become a Wake Sustaining Club member. A donation at this level will also entitle such members to:
*Be recognized as a Sustaining Sponsor for the Wake Valentine’s Day Fundraiser and receive four tickets;
*Be recognized as a Sponsor at the Wake County Democratic Women’s Jefferson-Jackson breakfast OR the Wake County Democratic Men’s annual meeting to recognize Wake Democratic heroes and receive tickets;
*Be recognized as a Sponsor at the Wake County Young Democrats annual P.R. Latta dinner and receive tickets;
*Serve as a Sponsor to the Wake Labor Day Picnic and receive 4 tickets;
*Serve as a Sponsor to the Wake County Sweet Victory Party and receive 2 tickets

Trustee Club Sponsors who will donate $250 per year. In exchange for this annual donation, Trustee Club members will become a Wake Sustaining Club member. A donation at this level will also entitle such members to:
*Be recognized as a Trustee Sponsor for the Wake Valentine’s Day Fundraiser and receive 2 tickets;
*Serve as a Sponsor to the Wake Labor Day Picnic and receive 2 tickets;
*Serve as a Sponsor to the Wake County Sweet Victory Party and receive 2 tickets.

Century Club Sponsors who will donate $100. In exchange for this donation, Century Club members will become both a Wake Sustaining Club member. A donation at this level will also entitle such members to be recognized as a Century Sponsor for the Wake Valentine’s Day Fundraiser and receive 2 tickets;

Would you like your name added to our sponsorship list? Payment is not necessary TODAY; however, in order to be listed on the invitation – we need your pledge by January 17th.

There are two ways to pay:
• On-line at www.wakedems.org – it is possible to make installment payments here.
• Mail check made to:
Wake County Democratic Party
220 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
(We can send the sponsor a donation envelope).

•Eugene & Wilma Weeks will be honored as Sweethearts of the Year.
•Governor Beverly Perdue is our invited Keynote Speaker.
•Al & Betty Adams will be honored as the Ronnie Condrey Mentoring Award recipient.
•The Fundraiser is scheduled for the N.C. Association of Educators Building. 700 S. Salisbury Street from 5:30pm – 8:30pm;

Become a member of the Wake County Democratic Party 180 club and help turn the County around! Contribute $15 per month and become a member.

180 Club Membership includes:
•2010 VALENTINE FUNDRAISER Sponsorship & Recognition (Deadline for inclusion in the program is Jan 16)
•2010 LABOR DAY PICNIC Admission
•2010 SWEET VICTORY PARTY Admission

I give the Wake County Democratic Party permission to draft $15 each month beginning in January 2010 from my credit card.

Please mail the attatched form with the appropriate information completed OR "click" the Donate button on the top right side of this page. Paypal will walk you through the process. The Wake County Democratic Party / Paypal will email you an invoice on the 1st of each month for $15, with a link to pay via the PayPal website.

Thank you for your support! Call Tammy Brunner at 828.5656 with any questions, concerns, or ideas.

The Wake County Democratic Party wishes you and your families a wonderful, safe and warm Holiday.

Please say a special prayer for our women and men serving our Country away from their own families. We thank them and their families for this sacrifice.

Take the time to give a special smile or a helpful hand. Pass on the joy that you have to others, who may need a smile to brighten their day.

Be safe, Have a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!

Take the time to read the article below which ran in the News & Observer this morning. (12/8/2009). Please show your non support for the behavior of the County Commissioners by attending the meeting tomorrow at 10:00am when they meet to try and elect a Vice Chairman.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners' meetings are held in the Wake County Courthouse, 7th Floor, Room 700

RALEIGH -- After 75 minutes and 14 split votes Monday, Tony Gurley and the GOP regained the top spot on the Wake County Board of Commissioners - on a tie-breaker achieved only when member Betty Lou Ward took an unexcused bathroom break.

Her absence gave the board's Republican members a temporary 3-2 majority they used to vote Gurley into the chairman's seat held by Harold Webb, the octogenarian Democrat who is recovering from a stroke. Many thought Webb would appear in the chamber just to cast a ballot to pick his replacement, but the board made its annual leadership vote without him.

When Ward, a Democrat and the longest-serving member of the board, returned from the restroom and found Gurley sitting in the chairman's seat, she said: "Wonderful. Thanks, guys."

With that, the board launched into more than five additional hours of wrangling about a new vice chairman - taking the meeting far into the night and featuring dozens of 3-3 ties between Commissioner Paul Coble and Ward. At one point, Commissioner Stan Norwalk made a motion to order sandwiches, citing his diabetes and need for nutrition. The sandwich vote passed 4-2 with Commissioners Joe Bryan and Coble voting "No." After 8 p.m., with Norwalk coughing loudly, they mulled dinner possibilities and chatted about a range of topics, including the women's championship soccer team from UNC-Chapel Hill, missionaries they knew and the Taco Bell dog.

At 11 p.m., the board had voted more than 100 times on a vice chairman, deadlocking 3-3 each time. Republicans voted for Coble and Democrats voted for Ward. The board waited 2-1/2 minutes between votes, lapsing in to silence between votes as the evening wore on. Republicans voted down motions to recess or adjourn the meeting.

"The retirees we were going to honor have all gone home," Gurley noted.

Citing health issues, Wake County commissioners agreed early this morning to recess the meeting until 10 a.m Wednesday to resume voting on the election of a vice chairman.

Shortly after 2 a.m., Commissioner Stan Norwalk asked for the recess because he had not gotten his insulin shot Monday evening.

Norwalk, who has diabetes, said he was worried about his health if he waited longer to get the shot.

"I will not sit here and put Mr. Norwalk at risk," said County Commissioner Paul Coble, who along with Commissioner Betty Lou Ward are vying to be named vice chairman.

The vote was 5-1 with Gurley as the lone dissenter.

At one point, Gurley proposed having a recess so that insulin could be delivered from an all-night pharmacy.

Gurley said he voted no because Norwalk took back his offer to skip Wednesday's meeting in case former Chairman Harold Webb shows up. Webb's attendance would give the Democrats the ability to pick Ward as vice chairwoman.

Gurley accused Norwalk of trying to delay the meeting. Ward said that Gurley shouldn't accuse Norwalk of trying to commit a political ploy. Gurley responded that Norwalk tries to make everything a political ploy.

The commissioners control the purse-strings for the Wake County schools, and the GOP's parliamentary maneuver to power comes shortly after Republican-backed candidates swept into school board positions with the promise of ending the county's diversity policy. Last week, the school board's new majority elected a new chairman, Ron Margiotta, and made the first moves toward ending the diversity policy of North Carolina's largest school district.

But the commissioners vote for a new chairman and vice chairman at this time every year, regardless of outside events. Both Norwalk and Ward called the vote underhanded.

"Using parliamentary tricks to push their votes, if it's legal, it's not ethical," said Norwalk, a Democrat. "It brings a lot of shame on this board. That's what happened. There were parliamentary tricks to elect Mr. Gurley."

Bryan reminded him that rules were not only followed, but also verified by the county attorney. When Ward left the room, Commissioner Lindy Brown asked attorney Scott Warren for guidance, and he explained that the vote could take place. With that, Bryan made the motion to elect Gurley, a former chairman when Republicans controlled the board, and Ward's vote counted toward the 4-2 victory.

"If you do not ask to be excused," Bryan said, "your vote is in the affirmative."

Ward later said she didn't expect the board to be such sticklers and that she simply needed a brief break.

"It happens in the world of politics," she shrugged. "There's no need to get bent out of shape over it."

Where was Webb?

Webb was elected chairman last year after Democrats won a 4-3 majority on the board. But since his stroke in early October, he has been absent from meetings, and the board is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Prospects of a deadlocked commission will be heightened no matter who sits as chairman unless Webb returns or resigns and a replacement is selected.

Should Webb decide to resign from office, state law says the board of commissioners "shall appoint" a replacement recommended by the county executive committee of Webb's party, the Wake County Democratic Party, as long as the name is forwarded within 30 days of the resignation.

"If there is a vacancy and the Republicans try to block our nomination, I will file a lawsuit," said Wake County Democratic Chairman Jack Nichols, a former county commissioner. "There will be tire tracks down the middle of me before I will let that happen."

Night wears on

With Gurley as chairman, the board spent nearly two more hours debating a vice chairman before voting to take up the rest of the agenda. The audience had dwindled to about a dozen people from the original 40 or 50.

Every vote split 3-3, Democrats on one side and Republicans on the other. Members made repeated tries at delaying the vote for a month, then two, then three - all of which failed.

Norwalk made several requests to wait until Webb could vote, at least by phone. Gurley ruled out a phone vote.

Gurley and Norwalk had several testy exchanges. Gurley ruled Norwalk out of order at least four times, once calling him a "liar." Norwalk accused Gurley of trying to start the meeting without Ward a second time when the board returned from a recess, and he said Webb was probably watching the meeting from home, heart-broken.

"This has nothing to do with the fact that Mr. Webb was not here," Gurley said.

"It has everything to do with it," Norwalk shot back.

Gurley reminded him that Webb was vice chairman in Gurley's last stint as chairman, and the two worked together to pass a $970 million school bond.

"The working relationship I've had with Mr. Webb is just great," Gurley said.

He vowed to stay past midnight and asked for a blanket.

Staff writers T. Keung Hui, Eric Ferreri and Jim Nesbitt contributed to this report.

Multiple votes
2 p.m.: Meeting convenes with first vote on a new chairman.

2:25 p.m.: Board stands deadlocked between Commissioners Betty Lou Ward and Tony Gurley - and over whether it is officially deadlocked.

2:45 p.m.: Commissioner Lindy Brown reminds the board, still tied at 3-3, that more than 30 items are waiting on the agenda.

3:13 p.m.: Ward leaves for the restroom after 14 tied votes.

3:15 p.m.: Board votes for Gurley in her absence.

5:10 p.m.: Board delays voting on vice chairman after more than 20 votes and takes up the rest of the agenda.

7:30 p.m.: Resumed voting on vice chairman. Still deadlocked at 11 p.m.

Election law and Webb's seat
Should Wake County Commission Chairman Harold Webb decide to resign from office, state law says the board of commissioners "shall appoint" a replacement selected by the county executive committee of Webb's political party, the Wake County Democratic Party, as long as the name is forwarded within 30 days. The replacement must be a member of the same party as Webb and be a resident of the same district, the law says.

At issue is whether the replacement would serve the remainder of Webb's four-year term; his seat is on the ballot in November 2012. Wake County Democratic Party Chairman Jack Nichols, a former county commissioner, said state law says the replacement would serve until the end of Webb's term. But Tony Gurley, a Republican commissioner, said Republicans may challenge this and push for Webb's seat to be included on the November 2010 ballot.

There is no provision in election law to remove someone from office who is incapacitated, said Gary Sims, deputy executive director of the Wake County Board of Elections. Nor is there a recall provision for Wake County, Sims said.