Wednesday, June 11, 2003
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Wednesday, June 11, 2003 |
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Fayette Demos energized by Lt. Gov.'s visit By J. FRANK LYNCH
The gathering Sunday in the banquet room of a restaurant just off the square in Fayetteville drew 80 people, some representing the face of Fayette's political past, and others its future. Last year, when the Fayette County Democratic Committee met to nominate officers and plot a course for the elections to come, barely 20 people showed up. Being a liberal in the most heavily Republican county in the state can be intimidating, even if there are thousands of like-minded Democrats living "in the closet," as Fayette's party leaders insist. There was a time when nobody got elected in Fayette County unless they wore the colors of FDR and JFK. But the last elected officer to openly proclaim any ties to the Democrats was Clerk of Court Bud Ballard, who lost reelection two years ago, to a Republican. Every city council representative, county commissioner, school board member and judge in the county,whether seated in a partisan position or not, claims to embrace the GOP platform. State Rep. Virgil Fludd, who lives in north Fayette and shares District 48 with three others, is the only locally elected Democrat today. And there are none on the horizon. All the more reason why Sunday's turnout was such a joy to the local Democratic leadership, most of whom have been towing the line alone for years. It helped that one of the biggest names in the state was there to give them a pep talk. Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, the Democrat's best hope to regain the governorship in 2006, told the crowd, full on fried chicken, roast beef and turkey and dressing from Right on Thyme, that Fayette is poised to become a player for the Democrats in the years to come. "Fayette County is a county in transition," Taylor said. "Every new home built here is a person who has been successful in life and is a potential Democrat voter." He pointed to Cobb County, for years a conservative stronghold, where six Democrats were elected last fall to the legislature, and to Gwinnett, which elected three Hispanic lawmakers, a first in Georgia. Cobb and Gwinnett, like much of the state, experienced huge influxes of minority residents in the past decade, and that's stirring up the political spectrum everywhere. But shifting demographics aside, Taylor admits the party has lost its way nationally and must shift its focus toward issues that matter at home, especially education. "The old-time Fayette County Democrats voted the party line for years, and as a party we became complacent and allowed the GOP to redefine us," Taylor said. "They were successful in labeling Georgia Democrats as Washington Democrats, and they aren't the same." Southern Democrats, or "Dixiecrats," for years have maintained a more conservative position on social and economic issues, while avoiding the hot-button topics that tend to define the party today. "Georgia's Democrats have always been moderate," said Taylor, pointing to Sen. Zell Miller, Pierre Howard, and House Speaker Terry Coleman as examples of Georgia's Democratic example. The talk energized the Fayette faithful, like Joan Neal, a retired school librarian and longtime activist. "These people are on fire," she said Sunday. "I haven't seen this enthusiasm in years." Nobody was more thrilled than Judy M. Chidester, a Peachtree City attorney and newly elected chair of the Fayette Democrats. Joining her working the room was the man she replaced, Ernest C. Broadwell, a New York native who moved to Fayette County 12 years ago and hit the ground running for the Democrats. He's now the 8th Congressional Chair for the party's state executive committee. Other officers are Mohinder Bajaj, second vice chair; Karen Kilgo, third vice chair, Karin Barber, secretary, and Larry Chidester, treasurer. All but Bajaj live in Peachtree City. "There's a lot of closet Democrats in Fayette County," claimed Broadwell, who lost two runs for the New York State Assembly more than 20 years ago. "We know, because Democrats used to pull maybe 5 percent of the vote in national elections, and last year we got more than 20 percent of the vote." And that matters, said Judy Chidester: "Every vote the Democrats get in Fayette County, that's a vote they don't have to get someplace else." In the 2002 Senate race, for example, Fayette was asked to deliver 9,000 votes for incumbent Max Cleland. He drew nearly 11,000 votes from Fayette County. The party's short-term goals seem simple enough, but could prove daunting: Find viable Democrats who can run and win in local and state races. Last year, no Democrats qualified for local elections. But Fayette County is home to some prominent names with Democrat ties. Jimmy Carter's son, Chip, lives in Peachtree City. Wayne Howell, former chief aid to Sen. Max Cleland, has lived in Fayetteville for years. Joel Cowan, one of the founding fathers of Peachtree City, was tapped by former Gov. Roy Barnes to head the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority in the early going. But it's not just about winning office. If they can't elect one of their own right away, Chidester said, the local Democrats can still improve the percentages and make things a little more difficult for the majority party. "If we can pull 40 percent of the vote on a regular basis, we've accomplished something," she said. Beyond that, having elected bodies that truly represent the face of Fayette County is a must, she said. "We're a diverse county, and our government needs to reflect that," she said, pointing out the mix of people in the room Sunday. Broadwell, a retired Delta mechanic who came from a New York political system that required voters to register with one party or the other, wants to take it one step further by challenging the county's at-large voting system. "How are you ever going to get a Democrat on the county commission if everybody is elected at large?" he asked. "If we could run a candidate from Brooks, voted on by the people of Brooks, we could get a Democrat elected."
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