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Democrats pick Central Committee chairman
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More from Local NewsOxnard attorney Joe O'Neill has been elected chairman of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee.
O'Neill, 56, was elected by committee members Tuesday night, defeating Steve Cummings of Ventura. He will replace Bill Gallaher of Ventura, who stepped down after a single, two-year term.
The scheduled change in leadership comes less than four months before the presidential election.
"November is coming in a matter of weeks, not months," O'Neill said. "We're not going to waste any time."
During Gallaher's tenure, Democrats surpassed Republicans in the number of registered voters in Ventura County, regaining a partisan plurality that the GOP had held for more than 20 years. While saying he could not personally take credit for the switch, Gallaher called it "a proud moment" that validated his objective of building the party locally.
Joining O'Neill in leadership positions are former congressional candidate Jill Martinez of Oxnard, who was elected first vice chairwoman, and former Ventura Councilman Gary Tuttle, who now lives in Santa Paula.
Citing the surge in local voter registration and the national excitement generated by the candidacy of presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama, O'Neill said now is "the best time in American history to be a Democrat."
He vowed the county party will actively support every Democratic candidate in the county, with a special emphasis on 19th Senate District candidate Hannah-Beth Jackson. That campaign is expected to be one of the most costly and contentious races in California this fall.
Members of Democratic and Republican central committees are elected by voters of their respective parties each primary election. O'Neill, who has served six years on the committee, said his goals will include generating enough enthusiasm among party activists to have contested elections for the party committee in 2010 in each of the county's five supervisorial districts.
Posted by VoiceofReason on July 24, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
First of all congratulations on the new position.
Secondly though I'm a little dissappointed by a statement made in the article.
Quote "He vowed the county party will actively support every Democratic candidate in the county"
Your hear this from both the Democrats and Republicans ALL the time. To me it says that the ONLY thing that matters to these people is the PARTY, the real issues, the peoples concerns and the general well being of of the State or Nation is secondary, the PARTY is what matters. You see deadlock in the State Capitol (again NO budget) you see deadlock in Washington DC all because of the PARTY. Its time the politicians wake up and deal fairly with the people who vote for them and support them instead of the PARTY.
If our Founding Fathers could see the mess we have now they would be begging to be British Subjects again.
Posted by sslocal on July 24, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
VoiceofReason,
You sir, are my hero of the day. Thank you.
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