PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate release

Contact: Gayl Ferraro, Chair

Democratic Party of DuPage County

630-495-3969

Gabigayl2@aol.com

 

DuPage Democrats Succeeding in All-Out Outreach for Precinct Committeemen

 

DuPage Republicans Act Worried

 

Gayl Ferraro, Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County, today announced that the Party’s new “all-out” outreach campaign to recruit new precinct committeemen is an ongoing success.

“We have canvassed five townships so far, and have picked up a new precinct committeeman in every precinct we have worked,” said Ferraro. “We have been in Bloomingdale, Downers Grove, Addison, Milton and Lisle Townships and each walked precinct has produced a precinct committeeman, the most important job in the Democratic Party.”

Chris Hotchkin, Precinct Committeeman Recruitment Chair, led Democratic Party workers to canvass June 2 in Bloomingdale Township, June 9 in Downers Grove Township, June 16 in Addison Township, June 23 at the Downers Grove Heritage Festival, June 30 in Milton Township, and July 14 in Lisle Township. Chris will lead more precinct recruitment drives on July 21 in Winfield Township, July 28 in Wayne Township and August 4 in York Township.

“DuPage Democrats are on the move with an overall synergy,” added Ferraro. “The precinct committeemen recruitment is just part of a larger strategy to work in concert with each township and its chair to coordinate fundraising and recruitment of candidates, volunteers and precinct committeemen.”

The timing seems to be perfect for this all-out outreach effort by the DuPage Democrats.

“As part of our community outreach campaign to new DuPage voters and voters frustrated with the ‘business-as-usual’ attitude of our currently elected politicians, we are searching for community representatives who know their neighbors, love their communities and want to take part in positive change,” said First Vice Chair, Rob Bisceglie.

And the DuPage Republican Party seems to be worried. Addison Township Republican Chairman Patrick Durante has recently attacked the DuPage Democrats for appointing precinct committeemen, rather than running them for election.

“Durante’s timing is very curious,” said Bisceglie. “He makes this ‘appointment’ claim right in the middle of our recruitment drive. It sounds like he is running scared. DuPage County continues to change and the only party truly attempting to change with it is the Democratic Party.”

While Republicans have seen their influence shrink nationally and statewide, DuPage Republicans saw the writing on the wall and scrambled to elect a new leader, state Senator Dan Cronin in April.

The Republicans’ top goal is to throw out their underperforming Precinct Committeemen, the bad apples who have lost ground to the Democrats, and refill their ranks with new blood. "I'd like to build from the ground up," Cronin was quoted as saying.

Apparently, he must.

“In contrast to what our current politicians claim, DuPage County was not created by any one political party,” added Biseglie, who ran for State Representative in 2006. “This wonderful county was created by its hard-working citizens, who are now under-represented by a party that increasingly takes their support for granted.”

After years of appealing only to the older, white, and wealthy elite, DuPage Republicans have a struggle on their hands when they claim a strategy to tap into demographics, which Republicans have ignored consistently over the years. They want to throw young candidates at a burgeoning immigrant and minority community, a staple of the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party of DuPage County recognizes that an elected Precinct Committeeman is the local public face for Democratic candidates for President, Vice President, Congress, Illinois Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer.

Precinct Committeemen have the greatest local impact on the grassroots movement in the Democratic Party, because they are the lead contact in the Democratic Party for State Senators, State Representatives and for all county and municipal elected officials.

“A Precinct Committeeman is an elected official,” continued Ferraro. “In DuPage County, our Democratic Precinct Committeemen have a crucial role. They deliver the Democratic message directly to voters, relay voter concerns back to the party, represent their voters at DuPage County meetings, recruit and appoint election judges, distribute candidate information to voters, deliver absentee ballots to Democrats and help turn out the Democratic vote on the day of the election. It is our most important job.”

Compared to the 1998 election when not one Democratic DuPage candidate exceeded 35% of the vote, and many were in the teen percentages, the November, 2006 elections in DuPage County showed Democrats with remarkable gains.

Tammy Duckworth came within a few points in a squeaker. Lisa Madigan garnered 65% of the vote, Don Harmon 61%, Linda Holmes 57%, Jesse White 55%, and Dan Hynes 49%.

Joe Shannon tallied 40% and Jon Laesch 39% for their Congressional races.

State Rep races showed Rob Bisceglie with 43%, Carol DiCola 37%, Kim Savage 37%, Dirk Enger 39% and Joe Vosicky came within 297 votes of winning.

County Board candidates collected between 40% and 46% with Liz Chaplin at 46%, Lynne Presley at 45%, Rita Gonzales and Richard Dunn at 44%  and Dan Bailey with 41%. Tom Grimston received 40% of the vote for Forest Preserve.

“Our Precinct Committeeman recruitment will be the key to our success,” concluded Ferraro. “That is why we are starting eighteen months before the 2008 election. We plan to have more Precinct Committeemen, which will lead to more candidates, more volunteers and more members. And, that translates to more elected DuPage Democrats in 2008.”

 

To find out more about the energy of The Democratic Party of DuPage County, call 630-629-1125, the email is info@dupagedemocrats.org and the web site is http://www.dupagedemocrats.org/ .

The headquarters of the Democratic Party of DuPage County is located at 1000 Rohlwing, unit 7, in the North Gate Mall on the northwest corner of North Avenue and Rohlwing in Lombard. The headquarters is in the middle of the south side of the mall and faces North Avenue.