David Pepper speaks at Highland County Democratic Party spring dinner
Guest speaker David Pepper, pictured at left, addresses members of the Highland County Democratic Party at their spring dinner. (Submitted photos)
The Highland County Democratic Party convened March 30 for its spring dinner at the party headquarters on Chillicothe Avenue.
It was a wonderful evening with over 50 persons attending.
Carolyn Goins provided an opening prayer for the delicious meal.
David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, was the guest speaker. He noted that the biggest threat to democracy is our state governments, as elected officials in many states, including Ohio, are more beholden to private entities that they are to public needs.
Pepper explained that in Ohio, elected officials in state government formed alliances with private companies such as First Energy and ECOT. These alliances led to unlawful or unethical activity.
Pepper expressed concern that the extreme gerrymandering (creating congressional districts that ensure one party rule) is leading to state leadership that is no longer accountable to public needs. With extreme gerrymandering, state and national representatives are sure of their re-election and remain very partisan. Therefore, Ohio is falling behind in many indicators of growth and progress.
Samantha Meadows, candidate for Congressional District (OH-2), was also present and spoke to the group about her plans to travel throughout the district as she continues her work for the Democratic Party. She is committed to addressing the needs of Highland County residents.
Dinah Phillips, Party Chair, expressed much thanks to party members for outstanding efforts for our party growth, including creating our Highland County Democratic Party Facebook page, a regular newsletter and local advertisement signs. Dinah also thanked Bonnie Parr, Jolene Walker, Carolyn Goins, Charlotte Harbut, Kate Cameron and the Women’s Group for organizing our events.
Phillips announced that the headquarters is now a permanent home and thanked our many donors for making this possible.
John Knauff was the guest auctioneer, and a lively, fun auction of member-donated items concluded the evenings events.
If you want more information about our local Democratic Party, please message us on Facebook (search for Highland County Democratic Party) or contact Dinah Phillips at jimdinah@att.net.