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Published
by the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee
P.O. Box 765, Chehalis, WA
Lewis H. Zieske, Jr., Editor
In This Month's Issue:
- INTRODUCING YOUR COUNTY E-BOARD MEMBERS:
- DEANNA ZIESKE, CHAIR
- JERRY BERRY, FIRST VICE CHAIR
- SUSAN LAMOREAUX, SECOND VICE CHAIR
- PHILIP MEANY, SECRETARY
- NORMA SCHANZ, TREASURER
- JEANNE MASSINGHAM, STATE COMMITTEEWOMAN
- PAT UNDERHILL, STATE COMMITTEEMAN
- HON. ERIC JOHNSON, LEWIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER
- $ FOR DEMOCRATS
- 2003 ANNUAL LEWIS COUNTY DEMOCRATS' SALMON BARBECUE
Deanna Zieske, Chair
Deanna Zieske is now serving in
her second 2-year term as Chair for the Lewis County Democratic Central
Committee. Deanna, a native of Michigan, lives with her husband, Lew,
and daughter Kelly in Chehalis. Deamma and Lew have two other daughters,
Katie who is PCO for the Newaukum Precinct and Kim who lives in Houston,
Texas
"I want to build a solid base of Democrats who are willing to work hard for and take pride in their party and for the principles it stands for here in Lewis County. When we do this our presence in Lewis County will be a force able to elect good Democrats to county and state offices," she said recently. She is Chehalis 2 Precinct PCO.
Though only in her second term as County Chair, Deanna has been acknowledged by her peers state-wide when she was elected Vice-Chair for the Chairs' Organization of the Washington State Democratic Party.
Deanna has a degree in Political Science and an AA Degree in paralegal studies. She works with her husband in their law office in Chehalis and also serves as a guardian ad litem for the court in custody battles between parents of children in Lewis County Superior Court. She is trained in mediation.
When asked what caused her to become a Democrat, Deanna said, "My father, brothers, uncles, and many cousins have worked in the auto industry since I was a youngster. Their experience as well as that of my dad and Uncle John, who were union organizers active in Democratic politics had a profound impression on men. For as long as I can remember, I have been convinced that Democrats are interested in working people. Democrats care for and work tirelessly for all people and the environment. I've lived all my life as a Democrat and consider causing ulcers and gray hairs for Rs as a good thing."
Deanna is intensely interested in the rights of all citizens. Before moving to Washington State she was a long-time advocate for persons with disabilities. She served as executive director of Associations for Retarded Citizens (ARC) in Livingston County in Michigan and for the Tri-County ARC of Suffolk, Virginia. In addition she served as a SE Branch Director for the Michigan Protection & Advocacy Services (P&A) serving persons with developmental disabilities and mental illness. She is past president of the Westside Chehalis Neighborhood Association and has held leadership positions in church, WA P&A, Lewis Co. Bar Legal Aid, and other disability groups.
Jerry
Berry, First Vice Chair
Former Lewis County Deputy Sheriff
Jerry Berry serves as First Vice Chair for the Lewis County Democratic
Central Committee. Jerry has been a Democrat candidate for Sheriff and
most recently ran for County Coroner. He and his wife Susan live in Mossyrock
and commute to Seattle to work where they both work for the law firm
of Bishop, Lynch and White. He serves as PCO for the Klickitat Precinct.
Jerry has a degree in Physical Education from the Feather River University and is a graduate of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. In the year 2000 he was selected by the Eagles Lodge as the Law Officer of the Year in Lewis County.
"I started my working career as a carpenter, just like my father and uncles," Jerry said. "I joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America at the age of 17 and retired from the construction business in 1989 as a Project Manager for S.E.D., Inc., of Olympia.
"I soon realized I was too young to retire and started looking for something else to do. I was hired by the City of Mossyrock as Chief of Police where I remained for 19 months before accepting a position as Deputy Sheriff with the Lewis County Sheriff's Office."
During his 10 years with the Sheriff's Office he received several mission maker awards, a letter of commendation and high evaluations for his performance.
Susan
Lamoreaux, Second Vice Chair
Susan Lamoreaux, who lives in the Meskill precinct,
has an adult son named Paul and two grandsons. For the past three years
she has served as 2nd Vice Chair of the Lewis County Democratic Central
Committee as well as Meskill PCO. Susan is director of the Lewis Volunteer
Center/RSVP program, a not-for-profit service that recruits senior citizens
as volunteers for various organizations in our county. She also serves
as a board member for the Lewis County Literacy Council.
Susan reports that she has participated in many Democratic committees, campaigns and activities in our county. She highlighted participation in parades, our J-J Dinners, the annual Lewis County Democrats' Auction, as well as the "Hayden for County Commissioner" and "Baird for Congress" campaigns as activities she remembers most clearly.
Susan stated, "I grew up as a Democrat. My father was active in the Democratic Party in Klickitat County. Political conversations in our house were always in support of the Democrat's positions. I do remember wishing that Adali Stevenson had a catchy slogan like his opponent's 'I like Ike'. But that childhood disappointment did not change my position as a Democrat. Nothing has. Democrats make decisions for the greatest good. There is no better was to govern, in my opinion."
Susan Lamoreaux's goals for the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee are to encourage Democrats to become more visible and active and to support quality Democratic candidates for local office.
Philip
Meany, Secretary
Philip Meany of Centralia is a bachelor who, in addition to serving
as Secretary for the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee, serves
as PCO for the Centralia 6 Precinct. Philip is a former chair of the
Democrats' 20th Legislative District.
A life-long Democrat, Philip recently retired after serving for 39 years as the librarian at Centralia College. He is an avid bicyclist, serving on the Washington State Bicycling Advisory Committee. Philip is proud of having received the Platinum Pedal Award from the Washington Bicycle Alliance.
Reaching back into his memory, Philip recalls actively participating in campaigns to elect Democrats Gary Odegaard, Beverly Butters Gestrine and Jeanne Massingham to local elected offices. He has also participated in efforts to elect Brian Baird to Congress.
Philip told the Demogram, "I come from several generations of Democrats, including my grandfather who cast his first vote for President Grover Cleveland. The centuries-long concern that the Democratic Party has had for social justice was a reason for my family's support."
Philip says he is a Democrat because "in identifying and addressing the needs of our nation, Democrats have more inclusive and just answers."
Norma
Schanz, Treasurer
Our Treasurer, Norma Schanz, is the mother of three sons and has
five grandchildren. She is retired following a career as the director
of not-for-profit health agencies. In addition to her service as Treasurer,
Norma is the PCO for the Curtis Precinct.
Norma serves on the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee's Finance Committee, has helped with two of the LCDCC auctions, with the summer family picnic and with just about every other activity the Central Committee has engaged in since becoming active in Lewis County approximately 3 years ago.
Excellence defines this woman who has garnered awards from coast to coast. She received the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee Chair's Award in 2001 and the 2002 Volunteer of the Year Award for the Chehalis River Council.
Before moving to Washington state, Norma lived in Richmond, Virginia where she received that city's 1988 Woman of the Year Award, the United Way's 1990 Award for Community Service and the 1990 Dignity/Integrity Award for support to the gay community.
"For many years in Richmond, Virginia I directed the Fan Free Clinic and helped it evolve from a funky little free clinic into a soundly funded community health center with an annoying, but respected, advocacy role for health care rights.
:"In the early 1980's, long before public health began its response to the AIDS epidemic, I worked with a incredibly wonderful group of volunteers to organize Virginia's first HIV/AIDS prevention and support services. Now I can tell endless tales about the struggle to advocate sanity in public and private policy regarding HIV.
"For comic relief, I made narrative sculptures and sold them in galleries in Virginia and in the San Francisco Bay area. Twice, my work was selected by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for its biennial Virginia Artists show."
In describing why she is a Democrat, Norma had the following to say:
"As a parent and volunteer, I worked for quality education in desegregated public schools. In my profession I worked for access to quality health care, women's health care rights, disability rights, and the rights issues that reached critical mass as a result of the AIDS epidemic.
"Legislative advocacy on these issues brought me into contact with elected and appointed officials at the local, state and federal levels. The rare officials who stood up with us and took action were Democrats. Reluctant Democrats often were willing to listen, learn and sometimes change their minds, because the basic issue of economic inequity carried weight with Democrats.
"Today, I'm watching a Republican administration use religion and corporate profits as uncanny partners to reverse our progress on many of these issues and on other critical issues that impact the entire world. I believe Democrats are ready to draw together in an unprecedented effort to elect candidates who will make wisdom and foresight their priorities in domestic and foreign policy."
Jeanne Massingham, State Committeewoman
Our State Committeewoman Jeanne
Massingham claims she has been married to her husband Richard "forever."
She lives in Adna and is PCO for the Adna precinct. The mother of two
"over-30" children, Jeanne served Lewis County as the county's Director
of Emergency Management for 24 years, ending the tenure in 2000.
Jeanne coordinated the Mt. St. Helens response and recovery effort for Lewis County in May 1980, and for additional eruptions following the huge eruption that year. She also coordinated county responses to 14 major disasters, including major floods, windstorms and winter storms over that 24-year period.
Jeanne was recognized as a leader in the field of emergency management by her peers by being named Emergency Management Director of the Year by her colleagues in 1989.
"The first major campaign about which I was impressed and began to understand the democratic platform on a personal level was when John Kennedy ran for President. He had the energy and vision for a free society to represent all the people. My mother, Rose Cole, who was a precinct committee officer for several years, frequently talked about Franklin D. Roosevelt and how he brought the people work and hope following the Great Depression."
Jeanne describes herself as a very conservative Democrat. "I believe in the people taking care of themselves and see government's role as building a strong economy that allows for full employment. People, as a general rule, do not want to be recipients of 'give away' programs. It takes away their dignity and independence."
She believes in health care being accessible and available to everyone needing it. "That is when a person is the most vulnerable and they should not be penalized for it."
Jeanne's goals for the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee are to make information available to elected PCOs and in getting PCOs, local Democrats and anyone else involved who has an interest in improving this country at all levels.
Pat
Underhill, State Committeeman
Pat
Underhill and his wife Cat have been active members of the Lewis County
Democratic Central Committee and the 20th Legislative District Committee
for years. They live in rural Chehalis just outside of Napavine where
Pat serves as PCO for the Emery Precinct and 20th Legislative District
2nd Vice Chair.
Pat has a strong background and commitment to labor issues. He is a union carpenter and serves as a Business Representative for the carpenters union. He worked hard to get the Washington State Democrats to form a union caucus and last year was elected vice chair of the newly created Democratic party labor caucus which he was instrumental in creating.
He has been active with the Lewis County Democratic Central Committee's auctions for several years, on the parade committee and as a volunteer in the "Baird for Congress" campaigns.
"I followed my parents and grandparents in the strongest Republican county in Illinois (Du Page County) until after 8-years on the job in 1981 I was layed off during the Reagan administration. Then in 1988 after 5 more years on the job I was laid off again during the first Bush administration.
"Those two experiences helped me make up my mind that the Republican party did not represent the interests of me or of my family. We moved to Lewis County in 1988 and it soon became obvious once again that I had to become involved in working within the Democratic party for the interests of labor.
"I want to be part of the team that helps bring about change for the better for all citizens of Lewis County: tolerance; education; standard of living; health, etc. Democrats offer the best chance to do that because they represent all people, no matter what their station--blue collar, white collar, minorities, females, sexual orientation, rich, poor, old, young, religions preference...you name it."
Hon.
Eric Johnson, Lewis County Commissioner
Lewis
County Commissioner Erick Johnson serves as an ex-officio member of our
Executive Board. He is a native Washingtonian, having grown up in Kent
and Renton where his parents still live. His political juices first started
flowing while in high school where he served as Associated Student Body
Vice President at Kent Meridian High School.
Eric was active in athletics in high school, as well as at Western Washington University where he earned his Bachelor's degree. Prior to his election as County Commissioner in 2000, for over 20 years Eric held numerous positions in recreation administration. Erick now chairs the Lewis County Commission.
During his first two years as a County Commissioner Eric has focused on issues relating to reducing substance abuse and methamphetamine, gaining GMA compliance, flood reduction, effective administration of public services and creating a strategic vision for the county within which we can set goals for county leadership.
"I want to find solutions to improve the functions of the County Government, rather than to go from one constituent problem to another," Johnson says. "We need to focus on system solutions, not short-term fixes to individual problems."
Since his election Eric has been appointed to two statewide boards by Governor Locke: the Washington State Public Works Board ( a state agency providing low interest loans to local governments) and the Washington State Forest Practices Board. He resides in the Sears Precinct.
$
For Democrats!
Editorial by Lew Zieske, Jr.,
Demogram Editor
For
the past several months a committee appointed by our Chair, Deanna
Zieske, has been looking into how we can identify and encourage local
Democrats to run for elective office under the Democrat banner. I understand
Bob Guenther, Chair of the 20th Legislative District Committee is also
seeking qualified candidates to run against our incumbent state legislators.
Our LCDSS Candidates Committee has been talking about personal and character qualities we would like to see in candidates, desirable qualifications for candidates and ways to get the word out to prospective voters. Getting positive coverage in our local papers, for instance, is excruciatingly difficult.
We are absolutely convinced that Democrats can be elected to office here!
But one big problem keeps raising its imposing head. MONEY!
Unfortunately, it takes a lot of money to run for office in a contested partisan race. LOTS OF MONEY. More than a decade ago, Chris Bailey spent nearly $30,000 in his close but unsuccessful race against Rose Bowman for the state legislature. And you can imagine the increase in campaign costs that has taken place since then!
This year, with a nearly evenly divided state House and Senate, organizations like labor unions, the trial lawyer's association, WEA and other traditionally Democrat-leaning groups are likely to be willing to help Democrat candidates out with their dollars. But they will do so only if our candidates can convince them that they have a decent shot at winning.
So our folks will need to start early, work hard and spend their own money up front to make the showing required to attract those outside bucks.
And then there are the problems that candidates for county-wide partisan offices are facing. Right now we have only ONE Democrat holding a county-wide elective office...Eric Johnson. We will need to work hard to increase our representation there.
The problem? Right now do you know any Democrats who have the financial resources to start and sustain a race for partisan office--especially the initial stages of a race where they can demonstrate their mettle to potential donors? So isn't if obvious what that means?
We are going to have to open our wallets early and often or quality candidates will simply beg off when called upon to put themselves and their money on the line for you, our Democrat loyalists.
The Lewis County Democratic Central Committee is committed to providing financial help to Democrats who we believe can be elected. We are working right now to build our campaign chest but progress is painfully slow.
So I urge every person who reads the Demogram and/or who claims to be a Democrat to take two minutes RIGHT NOW and write a check for whatever you can afford to contribute to our campaign chest.
Make your check out to the LCDCC Campaign Fund. Then send it right away to our headquarters at P.O. Box 765, Chehalis, WA 98532.
You can be certain your donation will be used to elect local Democrats!
