Renewed hope permeates event
PENN TWP — As President Donald Trump rallied in Erie for Congressman Mike Kelly, R-3rd, the Butler County Democratic Committee leaders were rallying around their own candidates at their annual fall dinner. Their hope — to bring a sense of community to Democrats living in rural Pennsylvania counties, such as Butler, who sometimes feel like an island of blue in a sea of red.
“I've never had a representative from my point of view,” said Maureen Byko, the Democratic committee's publicity director, in an interview at the dinner at the Butler Country Club on Wednesday.
Byko, who lives in Cranberry Township, said that for the past 20 years her representatives on the federal (Kelly), state (Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th), and township levels have all been Republican.
For the past few years, Nancy Patton Mills, Pennsylvania Democratic Committee chairwoman, said the party has been lacking in candidates. This lack of candidates seems to stem from district gerrymandering that she said made many districts Republican strongholds until the state Supreme Court redrew lines earlier this year.
Now, with new districts, Patton claimed all 18 congressional seats in Pennsylvania are in play.
A good example of this is Susan Boser, one of the candidates attending the dinner. Boser, an Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor, is running in the newly formed 15th Congressional District which covers 14 rural counties, including parts of Butler County. When she started, before the lines were redrawn, she was told not to run and shouldn't expect to receive state party funding.
“I was advised not to run because this is a 20-point Republican district,” she told the crowd. “Now, Pennsylvania state Democrats call it a sleeper district and offered resources.”
“Last year, I didn't know there was a Democratic Party in Butler County,” Byko said. “Now, it's a whole different party than it was in 2016. The chairman isn't sitting back, she's out working, setting an example.”
And it's paying off.
More than 170 Democrats filled the dining room for the committee's annual fall dinner. The dinner acts as a fundraiser for the committee but also a space to help build the Democratic community and meet the candidates.
“We're really excited to see this level of participation that we hope we can activate,” Byko said.
Catherine Lalonde, who started as chairmen of the Democratic committee in January 2017, is excited about the growth and noted last year's fall dinner turnout was 89 people.
In total, seven candidates for state and federal offices spoke including: Boser a candidate for 15th Congressional District; Ron DiNicola, a former Marine, running for 16th Congressional District; Lisa Boeving-Learned, a military veteran and former police officer, running for the state 8th Legislative District; Amy Fazio, a business woman, running for the state 4th Legislative District; and Dan Smith Jr., Butler native, running for the state 12th Legislative District.
Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, Patton Mills; Mickey Sgro, director for American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees District Council 83; and Jon Fetterman, mayor of Braddock who is running for lieutenant governor alongside incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf, also spoke.
The fall dinner is expected to have raised a few thousand dollars, Lalonde said. Some of the money will go to building the committee's budget for the 2020 presidential elections and opening an office. Other funds will be used to send out handwritten mailers and postage for the upcoming midterms.
