Sen. Mark Warner has weighed in on the retirement announcement of DPVA chair Dick Cranwell. His last sentence is quite interesting:
Dick Cranwell has been a tremendous chairman over the past five years and a remarkable public servant for nearly 40 years. When he accepted the role of Party chair in 2005, he believed he would be serving one year. Since that time, however, he’s led the Party to some incredible election victories: Tim Kaine in 2005, Jim Webb in 2006, control of the Virginia Senate in 2007 and my own election to the U.S. Senate in 2008.
As a former state party chair, I understand and appreciate the incredible commitment of time and energy and that this position entails, and I congratulate and thank Dick for his service to our Party. He leaves big shoes to fill, and I plan to work with our Party’s Central Committee to elect a new chair.
My hope is that the new Chair can devote their full energies to this task and consequently should not be a potential statewide candidate in 2013.
This is getting interesting. If Warner gets his way, the next chair will not be Terry McAuliffe, who will be running for governor, or Ward Armstrong, who appears to be planning a statewide run, although I’m not sure for what.
UPDATE: From the AP story on the Cranwell annoucement:
The search for a successor has been under way for weeks with Warner, Kaine and others trying to persuade 2009 gubernatorial contender Brian J. Moran of Alexandria to replace Cranwell.
Moran was described Tuesday as “the first among equals,” should he resolve issues regarding his family and his job that would allow him to hold the post.
Others under consideration include Greg Werkheiser, who raised and spent about $500,000 in a 2009 bid to unseat Del. David Albo, R-Fairfax County, and Michael Signer, a Democratic strategist who unsuccessfully sought the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor last year.
I’m hoping it’s Brian Moran.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
There appears to be a movement to draft Donald McEachin. I’m not sure he’s really interested.
Personally I would sound out Brian Moran. While his campaign for governor went haywire, he brought real energy to HOD races, especially special elections, when he was House Democratic Caucus chair. Indeed a lot of the lost energy of 2009 seemed to drain away the day he resigned from the House to focus on his own campaign. He may not have been the best candidate, but he has a track record of success as a party builder, and that’s what the DPVA needs.
I think you wrote this just before I updated the story with Moran’s name in it 😉
I did, and I stand by it. 🙂
We agree on that 😉
I’d love to see Brian Moran (that said, I’m not on Central so I don’t get a voice in the matter..and I can’t remember the last time someone on Central has asked me my opinion). So- even though I don’t know the secret handshake/password I’m definitely going to sit in the December Central meeting to see what happen.
I am on State Central and I am listening. Please keep talking.
Thanks Adam!!!
Locally it’s hard to get an update on State Central meetings for some reason. Sometimes the Democratic party doesn’t work in a very democratic manner.
I hope the next chair works to make committee bylaws uniform across the state- right now we have a ton of different committees with a plethora of bylaws.
We have many good Democrats who feel shut out of the process and excluded. It’s a shame.
And, Roberts Rules should be used at all meetings. I’ve been to several local meetings and never seen a quorum called!! That’s not a good way to conduct business.
Of the options listed above, Moran would seem to be an easy #1 choice.
I too am on the State Central … got there in an open election process … nothing secret or undemocratic … district and local committees are governed (for the most part)by the DPVA party plan and individual committee bylaws must conform to the plan and be voted on … the DPVA office even keeps a copy of them … and the new DPVA website is up and running … thanks for your comments and for getting active!
Hi Virginia Dem…I served on State Central for 11 years.
When I moved to this area, I found out that now only are the CD meetings not announced to the local committees but when the vacancies were announced for Central- my local chair cancelled elections because there was enough applications to fill the slots.
I’ve lived in 2 other CDs and those meetings were always open and ALL Democrats were encouraged to attend. I’m also very familiar with the party plan as I helped construct parts of it in the mid-90s. It just seems in this part of the state- transparancy is thrown by the wayside, the state party plan isn’t always followed, etc.
You see, I wanted to RUN for Central knowing that I may not get elected. I didn’t even get that chance. Now there is a vacancy due to a local member resigning and it hasn’t been filled and we have not been given any answers to how, when, or why.
Glad you probably live in a part of the state where there is a democratic process. I’ve got over 20 years vested in this party that I love and it’s very disappointing to see this kind of thing happening.
Thanks for your service … sorry to learn about the negative experience with your local committee and CD … Don Mark is the political director at the DPVA … you might want to give him a call or send an email and see if he can help improve the process 804-644-1966 ext. 227 … don@vademocrats.org
I’d like to know if there is more than one vacancy in proudvadem’s CD. I’ve only heard of one, and proudvadem is ineligible for that one because of the gender balancing rules imposed on the state party by the DNC. That’s something that someone who was involved with constructing the state Party Plan should know.
I wanted to run- back last year. Elections for this were cancelled because enough people had turned in applications so all slots were filled. This was during the reorg when there WAS a female slot open.
I’m not interested and actually WAY too busy even if I was but why:
1) Aren’t the 2nd CD meeting announced?
2) Why has this position been open for over 4 months now?
3)WHY aren’t ALL Democrats invited?
4) WHY is there never a quorum called in local meetings?
5) WHY isn’t there uniform bylaws across the state in local committees?
I’m not pointing fingers or calling anyone one person out. I’m in the MPA program and spending more time than I ever thought learning about transparancy, good govt, etc. This has caused me to questions the WHY of how things are done.
Case in point- when I lived in the 1st, ALL Dems on my committee were encouraged to attend 1st CD meetings, I don’t see that here. I’ve only been a Norfolk resident for a little over a decade so I guess that 1) I’m not used to “how things are done” and 2) I used my former committee as a frame of reference.
Sorry Randy, I just get the feeling that we will never do a great job of outreach until we have a more open process.
And also Randy, can you ever name a time when anyone from Central has ever stood up and said “X will be up for a vote, If anyone has any thoughts on this, please let me know”?
I know when I was a National YDA board member, I would do that at VAYD meetings. I just feel like those who are on Central are supposed to represent those within their districts. That’s all.