8th District Well-Represented at Vance-Aycock Dinner
Our fellow 8th Congressional District Democrats should be quite
pleased to know that our area was well-represented at last weekend's
annual Asheville gala at the historic Grove Park Inn. (The issue of a
probable name change of this annual NC Democratic Party dinner will be
held in abeyance until the January 2008 State Executive Committee
meeting.)
In addition to yours truly of Richmond County, I saw the following
folks who hail from one of our 10 counties:
Drew Arrowood - Cabarrus
State Representative Tricia Cotham - Mecklenburg
Sarah Gulledge - Stanly
Larry Kissell - Montgomery
Dannie Montgomery - Anson
Bill Mullinix - Stanly
Leanne Powell - Cabarrus
Elizabeth Roscoe - Stanly
Nancy Rorie - Union
Michael Taylor - Stanly
Judge Susan Taylor - Stanly
U.S. Marshal Becky Wallace (ret.) - Stanly
(State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin sent her regrets for
missing the Asheville weekend gala but had good cause: She remained in
Richmond County to attend various district events, and to take our
daughter to church. Though I may be biased in saying so, Melanie is
doing a phenomenal job looking after the needs of both her
constituents and her daughter!)
And, though he lives in Carrboro now, it was also great to see Thomas
Mills working the Jim Neal for U.S. Senate hospitality suite. Thomas's
father was a long-time jurist here in the Anson County region, Judge
Fetzer Mills.
Others with 8th District connections were sprinkled throughout the
crowd, a crowd ecstatic about the coming elections and the promise
that Democratic leadership from bow to stern offers America. (Let me
know of other District folks that you'd like for us to highlight here
by either adding a comment to the blog or by dropping me an email
message.)
Incidentally, members of the 8th Congressional District also joined
countless colleagues from across the Tar Heel State in Insurance
Commissioner Jim Long's hospitality suite. The dean of the Council of
State did indeed provide ample hospitality, and fun was had by all.
For political pundits, activists and strategists the gathering proved
to be the ideal place to fraternize, analyze, plot and scheme. I was
further pleased to see a strong friend of our district there, Chief
Justice Sarah Parker, and many of both our young Democrats and our
stalwart party leaders who have slogged through many a campaign.
Apart from what the 8th District was up to in Asheville, I will soon
share some terrific news with you that will be a tremendous booster
shot to our growing efforts to re-take our Congressional seat and to
energize a vital base of our Party. Stay tuned!
Posted by Wayne Goodwin at 8:42 PM 2 comments
Labels: Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, Jim Neal, Judge Susan Taylor,
Larry Kissell, Rep. Tricia Cotham, Vance-Aycock, Wayne Goodwin
District 20A Bar Welcomes Court of Appeals Judge - and Democrat - Jim Wynn
to Annual Dinner
Members of the Richmond, Anson, and Stanly County Bar Associations
welcomed Judge James (Jim) Wynn, Jr., to the District 20A Annual
Dinner held at Richmond Pines Country Club in Rockingham several days
ago.
State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin, also an attorney in
District 20A, recommended that the Association invite Judge Wynn to be
its keynote speaker for the evening. The lawmaker also formally
introduced him and provided the audience a summary of his
accomplishments. Judge Wynn's oration focused on the practice of law
and how the novel "Slaughterhouse 5" by famed author Kurt Vonnegut has
helped shape the judge's view of the legal profession and life in
general.
In addition to regional attorneys and their spouses or guests, other
special attendees that evening included North Carolina 's Assistant
Commissioner of Insurance Wayne Goodwin, Chief District Court Judge
Tanya Wallace, Superior Court Judge Susan Taylor, District Court Judge
Kevin Bridges, and District Court Judge Scott Brewer.
The Honorable Jim Wynn, a military veteran and scholar, is a long-time
member of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He has nearly 20 years
of experience as an appellate judge in North Carolina. Governor Jim
Hunt appointed Wynn to the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1998 to
fill a vacancy. The next year he returned to the N.C. Court of
Appeals, where he remains on the bench as a senior associate judge.
Judge Wynn is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill; the Marquette University School of Law, where he earned his
Juris Doctor; and the University of Virginia's School of Law, where he
earned his L.L.M.
Judge Wynn recently assumed the chairmanship of the Judicial Division
of the American Bar Association, making him the first-ever
African-American elected to the position. The division, which has more
than 4,000 members, is designed to help make the judicial system more
understandable, accessible and affordable.
A Special Advisor on the World Justice Project, Judge Wynn represents
the Appellate Judges Conference to the House of Delegates. Most
recently, he served as a drafter of the 2007 Revised Model Code of
Judicial Conduct. He previously chaired the Working Group on Judicial
Campaign Speech, which drafted the 2002 Revised Canon 5 of the Model
Code of Judicial Conduct.
In the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws,
Judge Wynn has served on the Executive Committee, Scope and Program
Committee, and currently serves as a Division Chair. He served as a
drafter of the Uniform Arbitration Act and Uniform Tort Apportionment
Act.
Judge Wynn's other affiliations include Vice-Chairman of the Board of
Directors for the Justice at Stake Campaign, and memberships in the
American Law Institute, National Bar Association Judicial Council, and
the North Carolina Bar Association.
A Navy reservist, Judge Wynn holds the rank of Captain in the Judge
Advocate General's Corps. Most recently, he served as Commanding
Officer of the Navy Reserve Judiciary Unit.
President Bill Clinton nominated him for the Fourth Circuit Court of
Appeals in the 1990s but former Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms
procedurally blocked the appointment.
Judge Wynn is married to the former Jacqueline Rollins, and has three
sons - Javius, Conlan, and Jaeander.
"We were absolutely delighted that Judge Wynn accepted our invitation
to attend as guest speaker," said Rep. Goodwin. "He is held in very
high esteem for not only his great service to the Nation with his
leadership in the military, but also his academic and professional
credentials that have brought him to service on both the Supreme Court
and Court of Appeals."
Rockingham attorney Ira Pittman serves as President of the
Association.
# # #
Note: The following persons, all Democrats, appear in the accompanying
photo: Judge Susan Taylor, Judge Kevin Bridges, State Representative
Melanie Wade Goodwin, Appellate Judge Jim Wynn, District Court Judge
Scott Brewer, and Chief District Court Judge Tanya Wallace. All but
Judge Wynn hail from the 8th Congressional District.
Posted by Wayne Goodwin at 8:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: Court of Appeals, Judge Jim Wynn, North Carolina Supreme
Court, Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin, Wayne Goodwin
Monday, October 1, 2007
Governor Easley Signs Legislation of State Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin
Governor Mike Easley signed a multitude of bills recently, some of
which dealt with progressive ethics and campaign finance reforms. One
lawmaker whose legislation received the Governor's pen and ink was
State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin, Democratic lawmaker in the
Eighth Congressional District for Montgomery and Richmond Counties.
She chairs the Election Laws and Campaign Finance Reform Committee and
serves as Vice Chairwoman of the Judiciary 1 Committee in the House.
With all that has occurred in the last year or so, these two
committees have lived up to their reputations as "work-horse"
committees. Congratulations, Rep. Goodwin!
Posted by Wayne Goodwin at 6:03 PM 3 comments
Labels: campaign reforms, Eighth Congressional District, election law
reforms, ethics, Gov. Mike Easley, Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin
Richmond County, Eighth District Dems Attend 2007 Senior Dems State
Convention
When Senior Democrats from all across North Carolina recently gathered
for their annual state convention, once again senior citizens from
Richmond County and other Eighth Congressional District counties were
well-represented.
Among the 2007 delegates were Glenn Sumpter, Robbyn Sumpter, and Lee
Quick of Richmond County. Ms. Sumpter serves as the Secretary for the
Statewide organization. Mr. Quick serves as President of the Richmond
County county chapter. Joining them as special guests were State
Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin and former lawmaker Wayne Goodwin.
(Pictured, left to right, in the accompanying photograph.) Other
legislators included Rep. Lorene Coates of Salisbury and former
lawmaker B. Holt of Burlington.
The delegates heard inspiring remarks from U.S. Congressman Mel Watt,
who previously served as President of the Congressional Black Caucus,
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, and NCDP chairman
Jerry Meek. Larry Kissell, the 2006 Democratic nominee for Congress in
the 8th District, and candidates for statewide office also attended.
One of the statewide candidates was Pat Smathers, mayor of Canton and
one of four Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor thus far.
The convention spanned two days in Salisbury, sponsored by the Rowan
County Senior Democrats.
# # #
Posted by Wayne Goodwin at 5:51 PM 0 comments
Labels: Eighth Congressional District, Elaine Marshall, Jerry Meek,
Larry Kissell, Pat Smathers, Rep. Lorene Coates, Rep. Melanie Wade
Goodwin, Richmond County, Senior Democrats, Wayne Goodwin
Op-ed in Fayetteville Observer by Democratic Army Veteran
Vets act for those who still serve
By Phillip Hunter Gilfus
Fayetteville
I got recalled this month. After serving as a maintenance officer in
the Army, including a deployment to Iraq, I thought I had hung up my
No comments:
Post a Comment