On Wednesday, Jan. 23, in accordance with the Lincoln County Democratic Committee’s (LCDC) bylaws, the membership packed the community room of the Newcastle Fire Station to elect the organization’s four officers, each for a two-year term.

Only one current officer, Sandra O’Farrell of Waldoboro, decided not to seek reelection after 15 years in her role as treasurer. The LCDC thanks her for her dedication and looks forward to her continued participation and guidance.

The nominating subcommittee was chaired by Lisa Miller of Somerville and included Betsy Wooster of Waldoboro, Barbara Burt of Boothbay Harbor, Jarryl Larson of Edgecomb, and Francine Rondina of Boothbay. The subcommittee put forward the following slate: current chair Christopher Johnson of Somerville for chair; current vice-chair Mary Trescot of Damariscotta and April Thibodeau of Westport Island for vice-chair; Jane Langdon-Gray of Newcastle for treasurer; and current recording secretary, Marilyn Buhyoff of Round Pond for recording secretary.

Additional nominations were requested from the floor for each position. There being none, the voting continued by voice for the unopposed positions of chair, treasurer and recording secretary, each winning by unanimous acclaim.

Johnson says of his reelection to chair, “The last two years have been a time of growth for Democrats and other progressives getting involved in determining the leaders and ideas that affect them and their communities. Here in the Lincoln County Democratic Committee the energy, fresh ideas, and ability to work together for common good and communicate shared values has been amazing. I look forward to helping the LCDC continue to innovate and grow from now through 2020.”

Buhyoff commented on her reelection as recording secretary, “It's been exciting to be a part of the growth of the Lincoln County Democratic Committee over the past two years, and I'm honored to serve local Democrats for another term.”

Joining the Executive Committee for the first time is Langdon-Gray as treasurer, an attorney residing in Newcastle.

“I was indeed surprised and flattered to be asked to run for treasurer,” shared Langton-Gray. “I recently became a member of the committee, having become involved through District Attorney Natasha Irving's campaign. I am excited to have an important way to contribute to the efforts of the committee. I'm particularly concerned with criminal justice reform and drug law. I am I tired of seeing people punished for poverty and illness. I grew up in England where I took decent healthcare for granted and where food banks used to be unnecessary.”

With two candidates vying for the vice-chair position, the vote was cast by secret ballot. Trescot was not present but Thibodeau stood and provided a brief comment before the vote, saying she “strongly believes in the mission of this organization, which is to elect Democrats up and down the ticket” and reviewed her experience with the LCDC in many roles, including running campaigns for the State House in Lincoln County for three elections cycles, helping revise the bylaws, and chairing the Local Organizing Committee. Thibodeau was elected vice-chair with the majority of the votes cast.

Johnson then explained the need for the committee to choose an alternate representative to the Maine Democratic State Committee (DSC) who will attend meetings if he cannot. The DSC bylaws mandate that this person must be elected by the county committee as a whole and not be chosen or obtained via volunteer request. Johnson suggested Thibodeau, who agreed to be the candidate. He asked for other nominations. There being none, he called for motions and then a vote. Thibodeau was elected unanimously.

The next regular meeting of the LCDC is Wednesday, Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m., at the Newcastle Fire Station, 86 River Rd. The agenda will feature the theme “Winning in 2020.” All Democrats and progressives are invited to attend. To become a voting member of the committee (not a requirement to attend meetings or events), any registered Democrat just has to make the request known and reside in Lincoln County to be nominated before the membership.

Note that future meeting dates and a regular location will be announced soon and may be found at http://lincolncountydemocrats.com or www.facebook.com/lincolncountydems/.