Gregg County Democrats

State of the County Address

March 2006

Steve Richardson – Gregg County Democratic Chair

Every two years the Democratic Party holds a county convention after each primary election. This year is no exception. Since my appointment in 2005 and my election in 2006 I have served as the Chair of the Democratic Party in Gregg County.

I begin my first full term as chair with great optimism. When the convention was last held in 2004 I was new to the political process. Making the decision to attend the state convention in Houston was a major step politically for me. It was a real eye opener to discover that only 12 out of the over 30 delegates allowed would actually attend.

The absence at the time of our own County Chair and the apathy for the Party in general was my motivation for change. I put all my effort into the 2004 East Texas Democratic Rally and then into the Max Sandlin campaign. Only one of these projects turned out successful.

The crushing defeat of Max Sandlin plunged the local party into even more apathy. We had reached rock bottom. Yet from the depths of despair came new hope. There was a fundamental change in the way we were doing business. Until then, past parties were built on the narrow shoulders of the County Chair. The new Democratic Party was being built on the shoulders of many, the members of the County Executive Committee, a combination of the Precinct Chairs and the County Chair. It was the way the Party rules were written, and for good reasons.

As we moved into the Primary season in 2005 we have seen a steady growth. We have gone from one North side club to four diverse clubs and a central office downtown. We have seen the actual number of Precinct Chairs increase three fold. With this new broader base of support and a sharp drop in the popularity of bankrupt Republican ideas the move back to the Democratic Party is on. We can see victory from here if we all work together for a better Gregg County.

Steve Richardson – GCDP Chair