On January 12, 2011, the 34th District Democrats will reorganize - we will elect new offiicers. Here are statements from the announced candidates for the officer positions. Send any questions, updates or changes to the web editor, Bill Schrier.
Any voting member (those residing inside the 34th District)
may run for any office.
Those members who have stated an interest in running for
office are listed here and their statements or a short biography are further down the page - click on their names to see them:
• Chair: Tim Nuse
• First Vice Chair: Sabra Schneider
• Second Vice Chair: David Ginsberg
• King County Committeeman: Jimmy Haun
• King County Committeeman Alternate: Dorsol Plants
• King County Committeewoman: Lisa Plymate
• King County Committeewoman Alternate: Betsy Shedd
• State Committeeman: Chris Porter and Karl de Jong
• State Committeewoman: Marcee Stone
• Secretary: LeeAnne Beres
• Treasurer: Jeff Upthegrove
This list does not preclude any member from running for any
office. Nominations will be taken from the floor and there is
nothing to prevent you from deciding on January 12 that you
want to run for a particular office.
If you do decide to run for any office, you may receive a list of
eligible voters for that office, be it PCOs or all members.
Please contact Tim Nuse for a list.
Chair: Tim Nuse (incumbent)
If you've been to a meeting you certainly know Tim Nuse. He
has been Chair of the 34th District Democrats for the last
term. He was elected Second Vice Chair in 2005, and then
was elected to First Vice Chair in 2008 when that position
became vacant.
First Vice Chair: Sabra Schneider
I have been a PCO in the 34th District for four years and I am
excited about the possibility of serving the district as First Vice
Chair. I bring more than 15 years of experience innovating in
public service, between work at King County and teaching the
workforce of the future at South Seattle Community College. I
am a current member of IFPTE Local 17, and I have an MPA
from the University of Washington and I live in Arbor Heights.
Second Vice Chair: David Ginsberg (Incumbent)
Many of you probably know David from his energetic run for Seattle City Council in 2009. David has served as the Second Vice-Chair since January of 2009 and is seeking re-election to this job.
King County Committeeman: Jimmy Haun
My name is Jimmy Haun and it would truly be an honor to
serve as your King County Committeeman. My commitment to
the 34th was cemented at the first meeting I attended. Being
surrounded by passionate and friendly Democrats inspired me
to volunteer to serve as your Parliamentarian and as a PCO.
As a Northwest Carpenters Union Representative in the 2010
election cycle, I was involved in the Legislative endorsements
of several candidates in most of the Legislative Districts in
King County. My experience in King County politics, along with
my collaborative work ethic, would dovetail nicely with the
King County Democrats Central Committee. Your
consideration of my candidacy is both appreciated and a privilege
King County Committeeman Alternate:
Dorsol Plants (incumbent)
Dorsol Plants was elected King County Committeeman
Alternate in October of 2009 after the resignation of Robin
Hess. You may remember Dorsol as candidate for City Council
when he impressed all of us with his eloquence.
King County Committeewoman:
Lisa Plymate (incumbent)
Lisa Plymate was elected King County Committeewoman at
our last reorganization. You might remember Lisa, a physician,
as the person who organized the meeting with the largest
attendance known for the 34th District Democrats - the Health
Care Forum with Congressman Jim McDermott.
King County Committeewoman Alternate:
Betsy Shedd
I have been a 42 year resident of Washington state and I am a
life long Democrat. Since 2004 I have worked with the Martin
Luther King County Labor Council on the Council's Committee
on Political Education (COPE). In 2004 I heard senator Patty
Murray speak. She told us that what we all know of our
democracy depends on our elections. At that point I gave up a
promised one year of employment in Hawaii to stay in
Washington and work on Senator Patty Murray's reelection
campaign.
State Committeewoman: Marcee Stone
(Incumbent)
Marcee Stone has served as our State Committeewoman since she was elected in January 2009. She attended every meeting and worked on the resolutions committee which deliberated many hours on hundreds of resolutions. Prior to this position, she served as our King County Committeewoman in 2008. She was our endorsed candidate for State Representative Position 2 in the last election. She would be honored to serve the district on the state committee once again.
Treasurer: Jeff Upthegrove
Jeff has served as Treasurer for candidates, including our new
State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, and as Membership
Chair for the last two years, working closely with the Treasurer.
He was recently elected to the office of Treasurer for the King
County Democratic Central Committee. He is well qualified to
be our Treasurer.
Secretary: LeeAnne Beres
I've been a member of the 34th for four years and have been a PCO since 2009. I've worked at the intersection of politics and the environment for nearly 20 years and currently am the Executive Director of Earth Ministry, which engages people of faith in environmental advocacy in the state legislature and Congress. In the district, I'm a regular volunteer on the tally committee counting your votes in endorsement races, and recently served on the recognition committee. I live in the Alaska Junction and look forward to serving you as Secretary.
State Committeeman Candidate #1
Chris Porter (Incumbent)
During my two years as state committeeman and as
fundraising chair for the 34th, I have accomplished the
following while representing the 34th:
- Appointed as Vice - Chair of the Affirmative Action
Committee (AAC) on the central committee.
- Helped re-write and approved the 2010 delegate selection
plan.
- Attended an executive board meeting of the central
committee as a proxy for the Affirmative Action (AA) Chair
during his absence.
- Ran the Affirmative Action committee on the central
committee during the absence of the ( AA) Chair.
- Helped re-write the Affirmative Action Policy for
Washington state Democrats
- Organized two successful garden parties.
- Held a donor reception to reach out to additional potential
donors within the 34th.
- Marched in parades to support candidates of the 34th.
- Served as timer at some of our regular meetings.
I ask for your continued trust, support and vote.
State Committeeman Candidate #2
Karl de Jong
This past November has once again reminded us that every
vote counts and our focus will be to ensure that the
Democratic Party has the confidence of voters. This past
election cycle took me all over King County as an advisor and
active volunteer for Democratic candidates. I believe my
strong relationships with grassroots volunteers, elected
officials, labor unions, and Democratic organizations provide
an asset to the 34th District Democrats.
We need to work on not only 2011 but beyond. Let's move
seamlessly from one election season to another making
consistent progress. Let's be more methodical in how we
advance our candidates. We need a professional organization
that gives good candidates the confidence to run and they
need to know they will always be proud of their association
with us.
I ask for your support in setting the tone for the Democratic
Party in Washington State, one that supports the legislative
districts and county organizations, and takes the lead in
recruiting and supporting Democratic candidates."
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