Making Changes in Warren County
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A Short History of Warren County Democrats In Action

Written By: Leona King - March 2, 2005

And that search led us to the internet and Howard Dean! Dean meetups were taking place all over America. But it was no surprise that we didn’t find one in Lebanon! We were encouraged though to find that there was a Dayton meetup group and so on a cold January night we drove up to Springboro to the Dorothy Lane market and found an enthusiastic group of fellow Dems ready to get involved with the Howard Dean campaign.

I was still looking for Warren County Dems and so at the end of the meeting I asked if by any chance anyone else was there from Warren County. Another woman, also of the senior variety as were Mary Lou and I, and a younger man came forward.
They were Shirley Pritchard and Steve Spraley. And so, folks it was a triumvirate of three matriarchs and a gung ho Deaner that haled the beginning of Warren County Dems in Actiion.

By February we had a Dean Meetup scheduled in Warren County. Mary Lou had contacted her Strickland campaign cohorts. Everyone we talked to expressed an interest in getting together and getting active in the national campaign.

I was clueless about how the official Democratic Party was organized from county to county in the state. We learned that each county has an official Democratic Party and that indeed there was a small core of Dems in Warren County but that they were not actively recruiting members. So we carried on with the development of a group that could be a place where Democrats could be actively involved together campaigning and supporting issues and getting to know each other. At our first meeting we agreed to appoint a steering committee to come up with a plan to form an organization. Steve Spraley, Shirley Pritchard, Dennie Fitzgerald, Phil Mullen, Shirley Gilman, Cathy Berger, Jean Benning, Mary Lou Harmon, Susanne Solomon and I met at Shirley’s and we hammered out a proposed constitution and a slate of officers.

At our second meeting in March, with a room full of eager Democrats, we heard recommendations and changes to the proposed constitution, adopted it, and elected officers. Steve became President, Susanne Solomon Vice President, Shirley Pritchard Membership Secretary, Phil Mullen, Treasurer, and Jean Benning, Secretary. And we decided to call ourselves Warren County Democrats In Action. The action part proved by the fast way we got into action. And folks we have been moving ever since. We wrote letters of support for the Dean Campaign, Steve went to Iowa, we looked into the voting machine issues, we jumped into voter registration arena, we established a letter writing project, we invited candidates to our meetings, we heard from union coordinators, we organized picnics and house parties. We got out the word about our meetings through the print media, word of mouth, and the internet. We finally knew who we were, and that there were indeed more than that first four who met in January at the Dean meetup and we let Warren County know this was no longer and will no longer be a one party County. We are continuing to develop our organization and now are working side by side with the newly energized official Warren County Party. Folks we have a lot to celebrate. We are here, we are a growing presence in Warren County, and we plan lots more action in the year and years to come. So here’s to all of us for a year of outstanding service in dedication to the democratic principles we share and cherish.