News

The Tama County Democratic Party Convention was held on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at South Tama Elementary.  Twenty-one delegates were in attendance.  Congressman Leonard Boswell was a guest speaker.

Boswell talked about the current climate in Washington, D.C.  Work is getting done.  The Congressman thinks a health care bill will be passed and signed into law this spring. 

Candidates also in attendance included First District Supervisor candidate Richard Arp and Tama County Treasurer candidate Mary Jo Cherveny.  Secretary of Agriculture candidate Francis Thicke had been scheduled to attend, but was unable to attend do to schedule conflict.

The Convention elected nine delegates to the district and state conventions: Mary Jean Sieck, Glen Sailsbury, Mary Jo Cherveny, Lynne Pothast, Don Wanatee, Dori Rammelsberg-Dvorak, Maryan Dostal, Bonnie Crawford and John Meyer.  Twelve alternates were elected:  Susan Sailsbury, Richard Arp, Maralyn Hotchkiss, Niane Meyer, Marilyn Svoboda, Dan Wilkins, Kendall Jordan, Sharon Owens, David Degner, Beth Lamb, Gary Lamb and Pam Calvert.  Representatives to the District Convention committees were also elected.  John Meyer will serve as the representative to the Platform committee with Glen Sailsbury serving as alternate.  Bonnie Crawford will serve as representative to the Committee on Committees which is comprised of the Arrangements, Credentials and Rules committees.  Mary Jean Sieck and Don Wanatee will serve as alternates. The District Convention is April 14, 2010 and the State Convention is June 12, 2010.

The majority of convention business focused on developing and approving the county platform.  Lively discussion is always a hallmark of platform development at Democratic Party conventions.  The full platform of the Tama County Democratic Party will be available on the organization’s website www.tamademocrats.org later this week.

The Biennial Meeting of the Tama County Democratic Central Committee was held in conjunction with the convention.  Don and Suzanne Wanatee were elected Affirmative Action co-chairs for the committee.  John Meyer and Ted Hall were elected Veterans Liaison co-chairs.  The full executive board was re-elected; Dori Rammelsberg-Dvorak, chair, Glen Sailsbury, vice-chair, Richard Arp, treasurer, Mary Jo Cherveny, secretary.    Rammelsberg-Dvorak and Sailsbury, along with his wife Susan, were elected to serve as representatives to the Third Congressional District Central Committee.  Cherveny, Arp and Bonnie Crawford will serve as alternates.  Rammelsberg-Dvorak currently serves as chairperson of the Third District Central Committee.