Response from Jan Clinite, Candidate for Committeewoman

1.    What accomplishments are you most proud of from your tenure in this position so far?

I am proud to have been part of the efforts that led to the election of Barack Obama as President.  The 2008 campaign was the most exciting and satisfying of any with which I have been involved.  We worked hand in hand with Obama for America, coordinating the ward organization's efforts with theirs.  I had the pleasure of working with many dedicated Democrats I had not met before, several of whom have since joined our ward organization.

We also partnered with Jobs for Justice to defeat the Earnings Tax Repeal Ballot Initiatives that I think would have been disastrous for our city.  Our ward organization has continued to work on other ballot initiatives that are important to our ward, city, and state.

I am also proud that the 15th Ward now has membership voting for endorsements in its "official" ward organization.  This is a key difference between my philosophy and that of the previous Committeepeople.  I believe membership voting encourages participation and gives people a sense of ownership of the organization and its endorsements.  (It seems a lot more Democratic than having the two Committeepeople determine the final endorsements.)

Since my election, I have been an active member of the St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee, working on various committees and events.  I think it is important for our ward, city and state that our Committeepeople be actively involved in the decisions and activities of that organization.

I also feel good about the way I handled my role in the nomination process for our new State Senator.  Although nomination by the Senatorial District Committeepeople is unfortunately not as open a process as a Primary Election, I worked hard to involve our voters and solicit their opinions.  I believe that ours was the only ward that sent each candidate who contacted us a written questionnaire to complete - the responses to which we posted on our web sites.  I solicited opinions from throughout the ward and received a lot of thoughtful input prior to attending the nomination meeting.  The voting I did at the nomination meeting reflected the feedback I had received.

2.    What do you feel are the most pressing issues currently facing this office and what plans do you have to address these issues? (please be specific)

Our number one issue is getting good Democrats elected and re-elected this fall!  I plan to work with the ward organization, the Central Committee, and the candidates' campaigns to make that happen.  I don't want to discuss our specific strategies in this forum, but if you are interested in helping us, please come to our ward organization meetings and get involved.  We welcome new ideas and energy!

3.    Describe how you work with, or will work with, others to address your priorities.

As discussed above, I have worked with the ward organization, the Central Committee, candidate campaigns, the voters of our ward, and other organizations on campaigns and initiatives in the past.  I plan to continue that method of working together in the future.