Steve Fernlund for A Successful Democratic Future

There's been a great deal of routine rhetoric from people attempting to anoint, again, the current occupant of the Nevada State Democratic Party State Chair.  Let's be candid and fair and separate facts from fiction!  It's important for the State Central Committee, and especially our new empowered voting members of the SCC to know the accurate facts and the history of the NSDP to make an informed decision before they vote this Saturday.
 
The current occupant inherited incumbency when the elected past State Chair surprised many by jumping ship in the middle of the term to run for a higher office.  No one, at the time, knowingly elected the 1st Vice-Chair to this high office - and in the past the NSDP 1st Vice-Chair has been regarded as a symbolic position rewarded to top fund-raisers - never have they actually ascended to the full State Chair position ever in our history!
 
This election is critically important for three major reasons:
 
a.)    For the first time ever we have a fully qualified strong challenger in proven Red Rock President Steve Fernlund - while in the past the NSDP State Chair elections have, sadly, been little more than a popularity contest with only one anointed candidate at the top of the ticket and little known, or little respected candidates that had no chance of winning!  Only once before did a well liked and respected Rural Candidate attempt a run - and they had very little support in votes due to the limited number of votes allocated to the Rural Counties.
 
b.)    When the 2010 Election cycle begins, we will not have millions of extra dollars being dumped into Nevada by two major Presidential Campaigns, along with the thousands of highly motivated and talented out-of-state volunteers we enjoyed - all of the burden of working the field by volunteers will fall on the shoulders of our next State Chair - and we must have a proven leader who knows how to truly motivate, recruit, orient and train over a thousand small teams to work together in harmony with their neighborhood Democratic Clubs, various Democratic Caucus groups and the Democratic County Parties in three major regions!
 
c.)    2010 is a Census year - and the updated population numbers will have a major impact on how the future political terrain is redefined with the addition of a new Congressional District #4 in Clark County which will cause major changes in some Precincts through-out the Vegas Valley in C.D. #1, possibly C.D. #2 and C.D. #3 - the consequences of this are critical to how we adjust our state-wide strategies and proceed into the future with our field operations in 2011 and the re-election campaign of President Obama in 2012!
 
The current occupant and inherited incumbent is disingenuously being given far too much credit for what has happened during their term - while those of us that worked many long and hard hours, day-after-day, week in and week out, month after month, over the past two years - that is not honestly the case for everyone - let's be real people and give due credit where credit is due without exaggerating anyone's role unfairly!  I'm all for saying respect is due for him being an empathetic symbolic leader and for reiterating the routine rhetoric as a cheerleader - but I've paid very close attention and seen no real leadership!
 
There have been several major serious failures under the inherited incumbent's watch:
 
1.)    The NSDP's failure to even attempt to launch a comprehensive and effective New Voter Orientation Program - to this day we do not have anything like a "Welcome Wagon" program that welcomes newly registered Democratic Voters into the NSDP!  There is no program that gives our newest people even the most basic information they need to learn how to contact their Democratic County Party or the NSDP for additional information on how to get involved and volunteer!
 
2.)    Though the Nevada Revised Statutes requires that local Precinct Captains be actually elected by their neighbors - the NSDP failed to even put this important item on the January 19th Caucus Agenda!  I know, I was the Temporary Caucus Chair for, not only my Precinct but a second adjacent Precinct, and I'm now one of the few legitimately elected Precinct Captains in Nevada - because, I decided I would take initiative, make this Agenda correction, and follow the rule of law and just do the right thing!  But, why didn't the NSDP "leader" see to it that the law was followed?  Because, there are those that want to be able to appoint only their friends and family to Precinct Captain positions and onto the Central Committee rolls where they can control the votes and power - that is the candid truth about where the cancer of corruption begins in our party!
 
3.)    The biggest NSDP failing was not consolidating the data, publishing and providing the state-wide Official Presidential Candidate's Delegate List to every County Chair - as promised - this is where everything fell apart, especially for the Clark County Delegates - and Clark County Chair John Hunt, our Executive Board and County Central Committee unfairly were blamed for this debacle!  Had the NSDP State Chair done his duty responsibly, the Clark County leaders would have had the data they needed to plan and conduct their county convention - and we would not, as a party, have had to endure the unnecessary panic by the two major Presidential campaigns who overwhelmed the venue in a desperate effort to find some degree of fairness in the chaos created by the failing of the inherited incumbent - and we never would have had to go through the "do over" event and endure the ridicule of Republicans!  That's the full truth without any bias or spin folks!
 
Now that we're in the heat of an election - a number of our new people have been misled about other historical details as well:
 
Many of us have been calling for a Diversity Committee for nearly a decade - and it was members like me who Founded the most diverse group we've ever had in the Clark County and NSDP, Veterans & Military Families Corps Caucus, and great guys like our own Patrick Patin (from the GLBT community) and Jack Mallory (a respected Union leader) that drove this issue - in fact, it was Jack Mallory who pushed this issue to the floor and got the Diversity Committee established (supported by most of the advocates and activists) - the only thing the current State Chair did is reluctantly resign the past resistance and finally approve the long suffering will of the people - how hard is it to finally say O.K. going into an election?  A true leader would have approved this important group two years ago! I know, I'm a member of the Diversity Committee.

We need change, and we desperately need the sort of change now that a proven, professional leader like Steve Fernlund can bring quickly to get the NSDP to begin to make a total paradigm shift in the mentality of the staff, to re-empower the County Central Committee members and County Executive Boards and Chairs, to re-empower the State Central Committee, NSDP Executive Board and to work harmoniously together with the various Club Presidents and Caucus Chairs, to establish a solid Field Organization that supports every Region, County, State Senate and Assembly District, City Council Ward, Precinct and every Neighborhood throughout Nevada! Steve Fernlund, strongly supported by the majority of experienced field advocates, issue activists and the best political analysts available can make this mission happen!  We only have 18 short months to do this important work - we can not begin until we have a new leader who will bring us sunshine and transparency to take the appropriate actions!
 
Now is the time for change. Now is the time to stop the popular anointment of the elite that has brought us little more than mediocrity and malaise and confusion and chaos - Please cast your vote seriously and responsibly - Please Vote for Steve Fernlund, and our Future, as our New State Chair - for a NEW NSDP!