January’s County Democrat Meeting
Tracy Harris
tharris@themarshallcountypost.com
The Marshall County Democrat Party met on Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. The meeting opened with The Pledge of Allegiance and prayer. November 2023 minutes were approved and those present introduced themselves. There were 10 present including one person by Zoom.
Jess Limbird, Chairperson, gave their report: December’s holiday social was a success; Vice Chair and Treasurer were open position; need representatives for districts 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8; county party should set up a post office box; signing up to be a poll worker is easy and can be done on the GoVote TN app or their website at govotetn.org.
Angela Hughes was nominated and elected as Vice-Chair. Hughes was sworn in by Limbird. The other positions remain open and the party encourages anyone interested to attend meetings to learn more and step up if possible.
Teri Mai, candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives, District 92, was present and explained her goals as she prepares to run against Todd Warner. Mai’s three most important campaign issues are below.
Voting Rights: Election laws should be voter-centric-making it easier for voters to select representatives of their choice. Congress should be working to expand voter education, make voter registration easier, and make the voting processes more accessible to all citizens who are or should be eligible to vote. Women’s right to bodily autonomy: I believe the government has no business making healthcare decisions for anyone. The best person to make healthcare decisions is the person whose health is at stake. Healthcare decisions should be private. The person making healthcare decisions should be legally able to make these decisions with advice of their healthcare providers and their own moral compass. Gun Control: We must enact sensible gun control policies that would help reduce gun violence. Mai calls for a ban on sales of assault weapons to individuals and body armor to individuals. She also wants criminal and mental health background checks for anyone purchasing a handgun, rifle, or shotgun from anyone anywhere. Mai believes in a mandatory “cooling off” period between time of purchase and time of possession, and registration of all firearms.
James Dallas, candidate for Tennessee Senate District 28, was also present. He is a native Tennessean and a resident of Columbia. Dallas says he wants to bring common-sense progressive values back to our state’s government. According to Dallas, “the Republican supermajorities in the state capitol are focused on ‘culture war’ issues and tax cuts for the rich. Senator Joey Hensley, our incumbent state senator, has been in the General Assembly for over 20 years. During that time he has made national news for all the wrong reasons.” Dallas was recently elected to a second full term as Chair of the Maury County Democratic Party and is currently serving his first term as 5th District Chair on the Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Association executive board.
County Convention was set for March 16, 2024. Location and exact time will be announced via email and at next meeting. The party is planning to do voter registration events and would like to hold a voter restoration event. These are in the planning stages right now. Anyone interested in participating is welcome. A candidate forum is being planned for the month of April at Saddle Creek.
The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. The next Marshall County Democrat Party meeting will be February 8, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. at the Marshall County Memorial Library.
