Greetings, Kosserians!
It’s an odd-numbered year, and that means Reorganization in the Democratic Party in our counties and state. No, this isn’t a Marie Kondo spin-off: it’s about electing (or re-electing) the officers who comprise our leadership. The Counties reorganize in the first two weeks of February, and the State reorganizes on a Saturday in March. We then sit down for the annual Obama Dinner to fundraise, honor officials, officers, and volunteers, and knock a few back. If you want to join the Colorado Dems for dinner, you can learn more and buy tickets here. This year, the featured speaker will be newly elected Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico.
For now, though, the question of Do You Know Your County Chair?, and as many answers as I have available at the moment.
ADAMS COUNTY: Lori Goldstein was re-elected to a second term. Lori is retired as a teacher & as head of the union for Adams 12 School District, helped run the campaign for Amendment 73, and is running for a position on the Adams 12 School Board.
ARAPAHOE COUNTY: Kristin Mallory Westerberg was elected to her first term as Chair. She’s a lawyer, supervol for Jason Crow & Aurora Coincil candidates, & was previously Chair of the Arapahoe Young Dems.
BOULDER COUNTY: Raffi Mercuri was elected to his first term as Chair, and will be one of the youngest Chairs ever. Raffi has worked for numerous progressive candidates and campaigns since 2015, and continues to do so.
DENVER COUNTY: Melissa Johnsen was elected to her first term as Chair.
DOUGLAS COUNTY: Dana Torpey-Newman was elected to her first term as Chair. She is a clinical psychologist and activist who started a "parents and play dates for activism" group that is now known as "Families United for Social Equity". She helped Congressman Jason Crow get to 45% in very red turf.
EL PASO COUNTY: Electra Johnson was re-elected to her second term as Chair. An architect living with her family in Colorado Springs, she ran for County Commissioner in 2016 rather than let the GOP candidate run unopposed. She’s a dedicated progressive determined to keep Democrats visible as new people move to the county.
JEFFERSON COUNTY: Susan Glass was elected to her first term as Chair. She’s an Evergreen supervol who has done massive amounts of voter registration and volunteer coordination.
LA PLATA COUNTY:
LARIMER COUNTY: Gil Barela was elected to his first term as Chair. A Pueblo native, Gil is a longtime activist and a leader with the National Letter Carriers Association.
MESA COUNTY: Maria Keenan was elected to her first term as Chair.
PUEBLO COUNTY:
WELD COUNTY: Jerad Sutton was re-elected to his second term as Chair. Jerad is a teacher who is reliably Red For Ed. He was a National Delegate for Hillary Clinton, and was her Elector for Congressional District 4.
That’s all I got. Thread is open! If you know your County Chair, please tell us! :-)
Colorado State Open Thread usually publishes at 7pm MT on Monday nights.