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Dear fellow Democrat:

For nearly four years, I’ve had the honor of being one of your elected representatives to the Democratic National Committee. I’ve been diligent and worked hard on your behalf, and I would like your support for another term.

I’ve been involved with our Party for 13 years, and have served as Secretary, Platform and Resolutions Committee chair, 2nd District chair, and as a county chair. I have been a steady and reliable worker for our Party, and other Democrats will tell you that I have always been available to those who needed help and advice.

For many of those 13 years, I have been the only party leader from rural Oregon. Living in the red part of a blue state can be frustrating, but it has given me insight into what works and what doesn’t work in rural areas. I have worked with rural county parties, helped them organize, and served as a resource for them.

I’ve played a role in the governance of our Party, authoring amendments to our bylaws that strengthen the role of Central Committee members, and to bring us in compliance with Democratic National Committee rules. I also wrote the standing order that governs our elections process.

Last fall, I wrote a guide for county chairs, because too many of our local leaders are tossed out into the sea of politics without a rope, let alone a life preserver. As a party leader who has been chair in two very small, rural counties, I am very much aware of what it is like to try and lead a county party without knowing where to go for help.

Much of the last two years was spent working on rules for our delegate selection process to the convention in Boston. In addition to the rules, I and others prepared materials and guides for people wanting to participate in the process, and gave presentations on the delegate selection process to county parties all over Oregon.

The process was cumbersome and chaotic, but in the end, we had record numbers of people participating, and more than 300 candidates for delegate positions.

We all should be proud of what was accomplished here in Oregon. John Kerry won by a margin that was 11 times larger than Al Gore’s margin four years ago. All of our statewide and congressional candidates won easily, and we gained more seats in the Legislature than at any election since 1974, including getting the Oregon Senate back.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if the rest of the country was more like Oregon? Over the past several years, the Democratic Party of Oregon has become more professional and more effective with each passing year. We had the best coordinated campaign I’ve ever seen. I’m proud to have been a small part of it.

As your Democratic National Committeeman, I will do the following:

• I will continue to work as a team with Oregon's other delegates to be as effective as possible. Oregon is a small state, and it's very important that we strengthen the friendships we have, and cultivate more.
• I will seek an appointment to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. Oregon has unique election rules, particularly Vote by Mail, and they are frequently misunderstood by the DNC.
• I will help lead an effort to improve our delegate selection plan for the 2008 national convention. It’s very important that we work to make the plan as clear as possible and to make sure that we do the best possible job when it comes to outreach.
• I will help lead an effort to establish a rural caucus within the Democratic Party of Oregon. Our dominance in statewide elections may not continue unless we improve the performance of the party in rural areas.
• I will work to produce a guide for new members of the DPO State Central Committee, similar to the one I wrote for county chairs last fall.
• I will work with others to establish campaign workshops for candidates for county and local office.
• I will never forget who I work for.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you'll support my re-election. If you have questions, please call me or send an e-mail. If you would like more information, please check my website at wkinney.netfirms.com.

Wayne Kinney
(541) 379-0031
wkinney@eoni.com

The elections for Democratic National Committeeman and Committeewoman will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4, at the Teamster’s Joe Edgar Hall at 1850 NE 162nd Ave. in Portland. The meeting will begin at noon. For more information, see the Democratic Party of Oregon web page at dpo.org