Beat the Heat Party 08

Local Democrats Enjoy Annual “Beat the Heat” Rally

The Jefferson County Democratic Party hosted its 4^th annual and increasingly popular summer rally on Thursday, July 24.  The Monticello Opera House was splendidly dressed for the occasion in red, white and blue, thanks to Democratic Party volunteer Linda Caminez.  The music of the Gordon Scott Band provided an entertaining backdrop for the crowd to enjoy a generous spread of tasty hors d’oeuvres provided and served by 25 plus local Democratic Party volunteers. 

Voters were reminded of some very important dates:  July 28 – last day to register to vote for the 2008 primaries; August 11 – early voting begins; August 26 – primary election.  Absentee ballots can be obtained by calling the Supervisor of Elections at 997-3348.

The “Beat the Heat” event facilitated a forum for local candidates to meet with voters, distribute campaign literature and provide information about their respective qualifications.  Candidates (or in some cases a surrogate) who addressed the audience and the office sought were:  Suzan Franks - State Senate District 3; Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda - State House District 9; Leonard Bembry and Julie Conley - State House District 10; Phil Barker - School Superintendent; David Ward - Property Appraiser; Daniel Jones and Kirk Reams - Clerk of Circuit Court; Franklin Brooks and Vins Harrell – County Commissioner, District 1; Hines Boyd, C.P. Miller,  and Ann Reddick - County Commissioner, District 3; LaClarence Mays and Edward Vollertsen – School Board, District 1; Gerrold Austin and Sandra Saunders – School Board, District 2; Marianne Arbulu - School Board, District 4; Caroline Carswell - Tax Collector.  For Circuit Judge in the Second Judicial Circuit:  Kevin Davey – Group 3; Dawn Caloca Johnson and Charles Dodson – Group 4; Lisa Raleigh, Errol Powell, and Frank Sheffield – Group 7; Angela Dempsey and Bill Miller – Group 16.

Special guest speaker was Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who won a record 71% of the vote in Jefferson County in her run for that office and has enjoyed several visits to the County.  Sink had just returned from the Naples/Ft. Myers area and reported that Democrats were making inroads in “red counties” that typically vote Republican.  She said that at a fundraiser in Ft. Myers the Republican mayor not only presented Michelle Obama with the key to the city but was reportedly getting ready to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.  Sink said that Democratic registrations were up enormously and she predicted that Democrats would both keep seats in Congress and the Florida Legislature and also pick up additional seats.

State Representative Curtis Richardson, another regular visitor to Jefferson County, who is term-limited this year, spoke next.  He emphasized that America has an historic opportunity to regain its position of leadership in the world with the election of Obama as President.  He spoke of the suffering the nation has endured under the Republican Party that said we needed less government and instead made government more intrusive, that drove the economy down and the price of gas and milk up, and that began an administration with a large surplus and created the biggest spending deficit in history.  He asked that voters recognize that each person in the working class and the middle class is one health catastrophe or one missed mortgage payment away from financial ruin.  Richardson encouraged everyone to register and to vote.