Democratic Party Elects Leadership, Validates New Bylaws, and Initiates Strategic Roadmap
The Washington County Democratic Party (WCDP) held its 2023 Biennial Reorganization Convention, as mandated by Tennessee law, this past Saturday, March 25, at Carver Park Recreation Center in Johnson City. Attendance at the event doubled from its 2021 edition and saw the election of a dynamic team of Democrats to lead the County Party as it launches its next cycle of activities toward the 2024 Presidential Election.
“The energy in the room was electrifying! What a delight to see motivated Democrats, ready to serve their communities and work to bring about positive change for all in Washington County,” said Sylvain Bruni, Chair of WCDP, who was re-elected for another two-year term, along with the other four outgoing WCDP officers. “I am both proud and thrilled to see a new generation of engaged Democrats, from 19 to 94, willing to advocate for our values in our county.”
As Convention Chair, Commissioner Margaret Davis of the Washington County Election Commission led the formal proceedings, which included the adoption of new bylaws for WCDP, the re-election of county party officers, and the election of 14 District Representatives to the Executive Committee of WCDP. Including ex-officio positions, the WCDP leadership is composed of 22 members:
- Chair: Sylvain Bruni
- First Vice Chair: Diane Bradley-Hardin
- Second Vice Chair: Morgan Olson
- Treasurer: Cindy Humphrey
- Secretary: Kathy Carr
- District 1 Representative: Georgia Turner
- District 3 Representative: Chelsea Boone-Belcher
- District 4 Representative: Shelley Van Camp
- District 5 Representative: William Justis III
- District 6 Representative: Mark Sirois
- District 7 Representative: Jay Emberton
- District 8 Representative: Brad Batt
- District 9 Representative: John Baker
- District 10 Representative: Mary Stevens
- District 11 Representative: George Cross
- District 12 Representative: Elizabeth Barnes
- District 13 Representative: Kay Sirois
- District 14 Representative: Kristin Langston
- District 15 Representative: Jeffrey Clark
- Past Chair (ex-officio): Kate Craig
- College Democrats Representative (ex-officio): Kaiden Amo
- County Government Elected Officials Representative (ex-officio): Jodi Jones
The open position for District 2 Representative will be filled at the April 3, 2023, meeting of the WCDP Executive Committee following a post-Convention candidacy.
The Convention concluded with a presentation by Chair Bruni and Treasurer Humphrey of the roadmap to 2024, including a set of 12 strategic goals and an accompanying budget. Priorities include deep political organizing county-wide, community connections and engagement, infrastructure building for growth, and leadership development for youth and underserved communities. In the next few weeks, the new members of the County Party leadership will undergo onboarding training. The Executive Committee will then begin its work planning the organization’s activities along the five new areas and 12 committees of the new party structure.
Members of the public interested in joining the team or getting involved as volunteers are invited to sign up online at https://wctndp.org/join. Those wishing to support financially WCDP’s goals and activities may do so at https://wctndp.org/donate.
The following pictures are provided for usage by the press, with attribution to WCDP and no modification of the images other than cropping.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Caption: The Oath of Office taken by all elected leaders (Officers and Executive Committee members) of the Washington County Democratic Party (WCDP), administered by Margaret Davis, Chair of the WCDP 2023 Biennial Reorganization Convention and Commissioner at the Washington County Election Commission.
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Caption: The re-elected team of WCDP Officers, from left to right, Diane Bradley-Hardin (First Vice-Chair; up, through Zoom projection), Cindy Humphrey (Treasurer), Sylvain Bruni (Chair), and Morgan Olson (Second Vice-Chair). Missing from the picture is Kathy Carr (Secretary).
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Caption: WCDP Chair Sylvain Bruni presents the 12 strategic goals of the County Party for the 2023-2025 cycle to the Convention participants.
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Caption: WCDP Second Vice-Chair Morgan Olson staffs the volunteer recruitment station at the Reorganization Convention.
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Caption: Commissioner Margaret Davis of the Washington County Election Commission administers the Oath of Office to elected leaders of WCDP, including Officers and members of the Executive Committee of the County Party.
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Caption: Jeff Clark, re-elected member of the WCDP Executive Committee, addresses the audience of the Convention.
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Caption: WCDP volunteer Phyllis Boone staffs the donations and merchandise station at the Reorganization Convention.
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Caption: Former WCDP Chairs Suzanne Emberton (left) and Kate Craig (right), along with newly elected Executive Committee member Kristin Langston (center), welcome and credential Convention participants.
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Caption: A Reorganization Convention participant enjoys breakfast before the start of formal proceedings.
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