As we enter the new year, I am encouraged and inspired by the work of this committee. This a result of the collective effort of all of you. It has been my honor to serve as Chair. I have had the great fortune to follow past chairs who were amazing leaders. I would like to extend a warm and sincere gratitude to Cindy Emmer and Jim Carr. They have given me great guidance and an incredibly high bar to live up to. They had worked hard to lay the foundation that we have today.
We have had many accomplishments this year. As a committee, we have increased our presence in the community. We have supported many community groups and initiatives such as Juneteenth, Horseheads Family Fun Days, the County Fair and more. We held two very successful fundraisers which not only raised vital funds but also provided a means to bring us all together as well as welcome newcomers. This was all made possible through the hard work of the Fundraising Committee, Cindy Emmer and Kaye Newberry. .
In the 2019 Election year, our committee supported city, town and county-wide candidates. We embraced the notion that there is no such thing as “off year elections” and that local elections are vital to the future of the committee and the community. We had some great wins and some sad losses. However, I have to believe that we are stronger as a committee. We will take the lessons from both wins and losses and grow.
The work done by various committees has strengthened the structure of our committee. Through the work of the 12 Month Engagement Committee, we’ve adopted a set of Core Values that define our mission and purpose. We have also set forth a procedure for expenditures that is both transparent and accountable and allows us to justly allocate our resources.
I am both energized and inspired by the work we have done this past year. There is much work ahead for our committee. 2020 is a pivotal year both for the committee, our community and our nation. Our relationships and connections to our community must continue to grow. I believe we are on the right path but must commit ourselves to continue the work of electing officials who will represent ALL the people of Chemung County. We must be unified in our mission and purpose. We must act as a whole, base our decisions and actions on the consensus of the committee and support those decisions and actions unwavering.
I thank all of you for your dedication and commitment to the committee and the community. I am honored to stand alongside each of you as we enter into the New Year and continue our mission of building a better Chemung County.
In Unity,
Dora Leland
Chemung County Democratic Committee Chair