ROCK SPRINGS – Rock Springs has been chosen as the site for the 2014 Wyoming State Democratic Convention, it was announced last Thursday at the Sweetwater County Central Committee meeting in Green River.
The convention will be held May 16 and 17th. Democrats from across the state will gather to adopt a platform, hear from state and national leaders, and plan strategy initiatives heading into the 2014 election cycle.
The party expects between 200 and 300 delegates to attend the convention. Democrats from every county will attend to help set the agenda for their party. Local party officials are working with state leaders to set the program for the two-day event. Locations and keynote speakers will be identified in the coming weeks.
Sweetwater County Democratic Chairman Mark Chollak says it will be an opportunity for Democrats to influence the course of the party for the next several years.
“Our convention is an opportunity to meet and strategize about upcoming races around the state, as well as on the national level,” he said. “It is a business meeting at its core, but it is also a time when delegates come to kick up their heels a bit, too.”
Chollak stated that Democrats plan to be competitive at all levels in the state this year. He said contention within the state GOP gives Democrats an opportunity to make gains this year.
In other business at the Central Committee Meeting, House District 39 Representative Stan Blake gave a legislative report on efforts to control costs for Wyoming residents who suffer from developmental disabilities. According to Blake, a waiting list exists for those wishing to begin receiving state assistance, but it is a very long list.
Legislators are reducing the size of the list by cutting benefits to those already receiving services. Blake disagrees with this move, stating that reserve accounts contain more than enough money to extend services to all those on the waiting list without reducing the level of care provided to those already in the program.
Blake noted the action is being undertaken in the name of Medicaid Expansion but has little to do with that effort.
In other actions, Chollak reviewed strategic goals for the Sweetwater County over the course of the next 15 months. These include efforts to recruit candidates, increase participation of Democrats in the party, and raise funds for the next election cycle.
The next meeting of the Sweetwater County Democratic Central Committee will be Thursday, Sept. 19, in Rock Springs at Western Wyoming Community College room 1003. Any Sweetwater County Democrat is welcome to attend.
