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Fayette Democrats name new officers

Fayette Democrats have elected new leadership for 2005. The officers will serve two-year terms.

• Kevin Madden will serve as the Fayette County Democratic Committee’s new chairman. Madden has been active in Fayette County politics for quite some time. He also serves as communications director for the Eighth Congressional District. In July, Madden served as one of the district’s three delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. He was an active volunteer in Fayette for Kerry during the 2004 election.

• Karin Barber was elected executive vice chair. Barber also serves as president of the Fayette Democratic Women. During the summer, she served as one of the Eighth Congressional District’s three delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Barber most recently served as vice president of the Fayette Democratic Women, secretary of the Fayette County Democratic Committee, and campaign coordinator for the Eighth Congressional District.

She was also an active member of Fayette for Kerry during the 2004 presidential campaign. She has been a volunteer at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Georgia and worked on Sen. Max Cleland’s re-election campaign.

• Karen L. Kilgo will serve as second vice chair. Kilgo has served as vice chair of the FCDC for the last four years. She also serves as vice president of the Fayette Democratic Women, director-media relations for the Eighth Congressional District, and as one of Fayette County’s representatives to the state committee of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

During the last election cycle, Kilgo directed the campaign activities of over 100 volunteers as director of Fayette for Kerry. She organized the first rally ever held in Fayette County for a Democratic presidential candidate. She also served as press secretary for the Mary Squires for U.S. Senate campaign. She was an active volunteer on the Majette for U.S. Senate campaign and the campaign to re-elect state Rep. Virgil Fludd (D-Tyrone).

Currently, she is working on Cathy Cox’s gubernatorial campaign and the re-election campaign for Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. She also served as secretary for FCDC for two years prior to becoming vice chair four years ago. In addition, Kilgo has organized several partisan and bipartisan candidate forums. As a deputy registrar, she actively promotes voter registration in Fayette and Fulton counties.

• Brenda Cox was elected as third vice chair. Cox also serves as treasurer of the Fayette Democratic Women. Cox has been an active volunteer for the FCDC, Fayette Democratic Women, Fayette for Kerry, and the NAACP.

• Judy M. Chidester will serve as vice chair and representative to the Georgia Association of Democratic County Chairs. Chidester most recently was chair of the FCDC. She has been active in Democratic politics in Fayette County for many years. Chidester will also represent Fayette County on the state committee of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

• Tamara Bingham will serve as secretary for the group. Bingham has been an active member of the FCDC and the Fayette Democratic Women. During the 2004 election, Bingham served as the letter-to-the-editor coordinator for Fayette for Kerry.

• Earnest Broadwell will serve as treasurer. Broadwell has been active in Democratic politics for decades both in Georgia and in New York. He currently serves as director of the Eighth Congressional District on the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party of Georgia. Most recently, Broadwell served as vice chair of FCDC.

While in New York, Broadwell was President of the West Islip Democratic Club. He also served for 25 years as treasurer of the Democratic Party of Long Island. In addition to his tenure in Democratic politics in New York, Broadwell was an executive board member of the American Transport Workers Union (AFL-CIO) for 30 years.

Madden has a clear vision for the direction of the Democratic Party in Fayette County. According to Madden, “The Democratic party has made great strides in Fayette County in the past few years, as shown by our 25 percent increase in voters in the 2004 election,” said Madden. “As the new chair of our committee, I plan on continuing this progress in addition to improving on some areas we need to develop further. For instance, we will increase our visibility within the county and help groom candidates for elected office.

“We need a strong Democratic party in our county that will help to generate debate on the important issues facing our citizens, like the quality of our schools and the congestion of our traffic system,” added Madden. “I don’t believe a one-party debate can solve the problems we’re facing today, nor can it generate the political will to make the difficult decisions about the future of Fayette county.

“Our great nation has been successful based upon the diversity of our two-party system of government. Why do we think our county can thrive on the monopoly of one party? Without a strong Democratic party in Fayette County ensuring a thoughtful consideration of the important issues we face, I would fear for our future.”

The Fayette County Democratic Committee meets at 10 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month for breakfast at Right on Thyme, 174 N. Glynn Street (Ga. Highway 85) in Fayetteville. For more information about the group, contact Kevin Madden, Chairman, at 404-918-9804 or via e-mail at fayettedemocrat@yahoo.com. More information can be found at www.fayettedemocrat.org.