Caucus to Elect Officers & Delegates
The March Meeting is an important vote for the Windems. Any Windham resident, registered as a Democrat, is qualified to vote. We have new candidates and some returning officers running for the four Executive positions and four delegate seats. Chair Kristi St. Laurent and Secretary Ellen McCahon are stepping down and Vice Chair Roman is running for Chair - the Executive Board is undergoing big changes! The Guest speaker will be Larry Drake, the Chair of the Rockingham County Democrats. As always, non-Democratic registered voters and out of town guests are welcome to attend the meeting.
All registered Democrats in Windham are eligible to vote in the caucus election for town Democratic committee officers and for Windham delegates to the Democratic State Convention. We encourage as many registered Democrats as possible to attend the caucus. For more information, email windems@windems.org.
Meet your officer candidates:
Chair - Valerie Roman
My name is Valerie Roman, and I am running for Chair of the Windems. I have lived in Windham with my husband since 1986 and our two adult sons grew up here.
In 2010, I retired after a four-decade career in technology management: Chief of Systems Analysis and Design at the US Census Bureau in Washington DC, Technology Director for the City of Cambridge MA, and Technology Director for Phillips Academy in Andover MA. I now provide technology consulting services to municipalities and schools. I am a Wellesley College graduate and a published author of two books.
I have been involved in national democratic causes and campaigns since 1976, and became active with the Windems and local, county, and state politics after I retired. In addition to being a committee member, I have served as an At-Large Delegate and as Vice Chair.
My goal as Chair is to bring renewed interest and increased membership to the committee. With a newly created Mission Statement and dedicated committee members, my hope is to work as a team to educate and expand the understanding of democratic values in Windham, as well as to have fun.
Vice Chair - Kenna McLeod
I’m Kenna McLeod and am running for Vice Chair of the Windems. I moved to Windham in 1997 with my husband and two small children to take on a new professional role as a technical manager at Lucent Technologies in North Andover, MA. I had just returned from a year-long assignment in Nuremberg, Germany after working as a manufacturing engineer in Columbus, Ohio for the previous 10 years.
When our children were attending the Windham schools, I developed the PTA website and acted as the webmaster for the PTA. I also supported building a new high school and was a member of the WISE (Windham Initiative to Support Education) communications committee. We developed a communications campaign providing factual information to educate voters with the goal of passing the high school bonds. I jointly developed the WISE website and developed the material presented at the neighborhood house parties and information sessions.
In my pursuit to help children, I have volunteered my time as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) to advocate in court for abused and neglected children and to provide information to judges for making decisions in the best interests of the children.
I have been undeclared for most of my life to avoid being labeled and in hopes of retaining an open mind. After voting for democratic candidates almost exclusively, however, and after the election of Donald Trump in 2016, I registered as a Democrat. My reason for doing so was to get involved with like-minded people and to work with them in building a future in which everyone has a voice, has educational and economic opportunities, and is treated with dignity and respect. I’d like to take a role with the Windems in hopes that together we can make a difference in our local community, in our state, and in our country.
The email reminder for the meeting will feature messages from the Secretary and Treasurer candidates (Catherine Robertson-Souter and Karen Clark, respectively). If you do not receive the monthly email updates, please contact windems@windems.org.
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