About the Democratic Party

Locally . . .

On the local level, the Democratic Party works to elect Democrats to all levels of government and to lobby for positions that we believe the Democratic party should espouse.

          The local party is led by the City Committee Chair.  We have been lucky to have been served by a series of dynamic and creative chairs, some of whom remain active in the party.  Past chairs including Bill Bradley, Jack Robbins, former Human Rights Commission Executive Director Alison Greene, former Council Member Mary Ann Keenan, Council Member Bob Greer (now deceased), and Assemblyman Adam Bradley.  Our current Chair, Liz Shollenberger, heads a distinguished slate of officers:

Liz Shollenberger                Chair                             

John Kirkpatrick                  1st Vice Chair

Paul Schwarz                     2nd Vice Chair

Charles Morgan                   3^rd Vice Chair

Tim James                         4^th Vice Chair

Lydia Barkley                     5^th Vice Chair

David Buchwald                  Corresponding Secretary

Ray Indelicato                    Recording Secretary

Steve Walfish                    Treasurer

Bill Alexander                     State Committee Member

Marlene Perez                    Organizational Chair                   

     In 2009, we are supporting a strong slate of candidates for county-wide and local office:

At the County-wide level: Andy Spano (County Executive), Tim Idoni (County Clerk), Janet Difiore (District Attorney), and John Colangelo (County Court Judge)

At the level of county legislator, we are supporting Alfreda Williams in District 8 and Bill Ryan in District 5.

Locally, we are supporting Adam Bradley for Mayor and Tom Roach, David Buchwald and Beth Smayda for Common Council.

          The party and its members have contributed greatly to the White Plains community.  Each year, the local party has awarded White Plains residents with service awards, honoring the memory of great Democrats who preceded us.

          The Ted Benjamin Award is presented to a resident who has made an outstanding civic contribution.  The person for whom the award is named, Ted Benjamin, a publisher by profession, was an early White Plains Democratic activist.  He championed the preservation of open space in our growing city and served as the Chair of the Open Space Committee for the original Comprehensive Plan Committee.  He is survived by his wife, Barbara, who has continued his work in preservation.   Recent recipients include Susan and John Kirkpatrick, Richard and Dolly Maass, Mary Ann Keenan, Sam Fredman, Pauline Oliva, Saul Yanofsky, Harry Bright, and, in 2005, former Council Member and developer of low-income housing, William Brown, Dennis Power, and  Marc Pollitzer.  In 2008, we gave this award to Jack Harrington, who for many years led the White Plains Historical Society. In 2009, we will be giving this award to  Common Council Member Rita Malmud, who will be retiring from the Council at the end of 2009, after five terms of service during which she has played a major role in bettering White Plains.

   The Marilyn Stagg Award is presented to a resident who has made an outstanding  contribution to the party.  The person for whom the award is named, Marilyn Stagg, a designer  by profession, was an early White Plains Democratic activist. A woman with endless energy and amazing organizational skills, she was a major architect in building the local party structure that serves us well to this day.  She  is survived by her husband, district leader Micky Stagg, and their four sons.   Recent recipients include Howard Glassman, Marlene Perez, Dennis Power, Bob Solomon, Diane Travers, Bill Alexander, Bill Bradley, Pauline Oliva, Nancy McCants, Nick Wolff, John Martin, Bob Greer, Rubelle Myers, and, in 2007, to Barbara and Paul Schwarz. In 2008, we gave this award to Alison Greene, former city party chair and active volunteer in Bill and Hillary Clinton's campaigns, and in 2009, we will be giving the award to Steve Walfish, our local party's current treasurer and forme secretary.

          To learn more about the Democratic party , you may want to visit the State Party website at www.nydems.org or the  Democratic National Committee Website.