Who's running the NCDP into the ground?

The North Carolina Democratic Party will elect new party officers on January 29, 2011 in Raleigh unfortunately the choices are stale as Thanksgiving croutons. Would you believe that most of the current NCDP party officers are seeking re-election?

I know! Stop laughing. It's true.

Stella Adams, 52,  is seeking re-election as the NCDP's First Vice Chair.  Delmas Parker, 73, wants to hold onto the Second Vice Chair job, again. And Tony McEwen, 31, actually wants to keep his Third Vice Chair position.

These are the same people who sat on their bureaucratic backsides while the NC legislature flopped into Republican control for the first time in over a 100 years. At least current NCDP Chair David Young had the good sense (of shame?) to announce early he won't be seeking re-election after the piss-poor results of the mid-term elections across the state. The race is now between David Parker, 54 of Statesville  and Bill Faison, 64 of Efland.

According to the state party's Plan of Organization, the First Chair must be the opposite gender of the chair. Presuming no new names come up for Chair, women candidates are sorely needed to oppose Stella Adams who wants to retain her office. C'MON, ladies. Line up! We need some new blood infused into the party! Stella Adams has a history of abusing her position. Just ask the Africa-American Caucus of NC.  These days, no one knows who's actually the bonafide leader since the elected president wasn't one of Adam's minions so she instigated a coup to replace the elected leader with her own puppet, Michael Lawson.

Tony McEwen did help pull together a new state auxiliary group, the Hispanic Democrats of NC. While that's all very well and good. No news as to how he might have actually helped elect any democratic candidates.

Kathy Knight is following David's lead and moving on by not seeking re-election as party Secretary. That's good news since Knight hasn't bothered to send out any meeting minutes in months.

There are some not so new names coveting the secretary's post. Both Melvin Williams, 69 of Beulaville and Kevin A. Smith, 34, of Durham, want the job.  Melvin Williams is a long-time supporter of Jerry Meek, the "genius" who handpicked David Young, the current NCDP Chair.  But back to Melvin, the 7th Congressional District Chair. Wonder if he'll resign that job to be secretary? This is not Kevin Smith's first run for party office. In 2009, he lost his bid for state party's Third Vice Chair despite an admirable speech.  This race should prove to be interesting.

Treasurer Muriel Offerman has done an excellent job of maintaining the books and keeping the budget tidy. She hasn't announced her interest in seeking re-election. If she does seek re-election, she'd get my vote mainly because of who she endorses for chair.

The current state party officers should be embarrassed to ask to be re-elected. Their track record has been abysmal having handed over the  NC legislature over to the Republicans, a first in over a century.  Lets rethink who runs the party and elect competent officers focused on electing democrats, not securing their own influence.