Hello and welcome to the Collier Democratic Round-Up, the

official podcast of the Collier County Democratic Party. I am your host, Jeff

Spencer. We’re back! It’s been two years since we last recorded a podcast and a

lot has happened in the time since. Let’s do a bit of a recap and get everyone

up to speed.

First, we have new leadership here in Collier County. Every

two years, we have an election to choose a new slate of officers. Annisa Karim

and myself, as Chair and Vice-Chair, chose to step down. There are a lot of

reasons for this, but the main being that we both felt that the party needed

fresh energy and fresh perspectives to grow as it needs to grow. We have both

put a lot of effort over the last 6 years to build a strong foundation for the

party to build.

We achieved a lot. We raised more money in our 6 years than

in the previous 12 combined. We upgraded our website, social media, and

communication presence to reach more Democrats. 

We invested in improved financial and volunteer management systems to

allow us to maximize our potential. We fielded full slates of candidates for

all offices in 2018 and 2020 and had the highest democratic turnout in 2020 of

any county in the entire state.

There were big accomplishments, but they were not enough.

The party needed some fresh perspectives and new ideas to take the next step

toward a blue Collier County. And I am very excited about our new slate of

officers and the direction they are taking the party.

Our new Chair is Jane Schletweig. Jane worked with Annis and

I as State Committee Woman where she represented Collier County at the State

Party. Jane is also the Region 12 Chair of the Democratic Women’s Club of

Florida.

Our new Vice-Chair is Adam Molny. Adam has been our Data

Coordinator for the last four years and he has been integral to each of our

successes.

Anne Daley was re-elected as Treasurer for a second term and

Judy Freiberg was re-elected as Secretary for her second term.

This new leadership is incredibly qualified and has already

hit the ground running. New members and new volunteers have already started to

participate. Melody Hardee has taken over the Communications Committee and has a

great plan to reach out to more Democrats and non-democrats alike. At

February’s meeting, it was standing room only with new volunteers signing up to

help on many new committees.

The next two years are very important. We have a Governor

who is emboldened and continues to go on the attack. We have the School Board

and County Commission that has lurched even further right parroting conspiracy

theory, discounting science, and ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable

constituents. Rick Scott is up for re-election and needs to be defeated.

Jane and the rest of the leadership have a plan to engage

new voters. You can find out more about their plans and how you can help by

going to www.collierdems.org. We’ll be

right back after a short break.