George --

At the meeting on May 31st we had a spirited discussion of the future of Democrats for Change -- our goals and the best way to organize to achieve those goals. The question of what kind of organization we should be is very complex and requires a great deal of thought and discussion. This will take time. Although we took "straw votes" on some issues, none of these votes are binding and everything is open to further reevaluation at future meetings.

There was strong consensus on two major topics, however. We all believe 1) that our Platform (or at least major portions of it) should be implemented and 2) that Democrats for Change should continue as a vital and energetic positive force in the community.

Since so many of our active members are extremely busy at this time (indeed many were not able to come to the May 31st meeting due to schedule conflicts), we decided to postpone the June 14th meeting. After June, people tend to scatter for the summer, so further meetings about reorganization will probably have to wait until September. In the meantime, we will continue in our present form, and members will be alert and active in a variety of community and DFC activities.

On a personal note, I informed the group that I needed to return to my research and writing and could no longer serve a Chairman. For the past 9 months I have devoted so much time to Democrats for Change that I have not been able to move forward on my life-long project -- a study of why people vote as they do in Presidential elections. As soon as a new Chairperson is found, I will be stepping down. It has been a great pleasure to work with so many wonderful people and I hope to continue to be active (in a more limited way) to advance Charlottesville's future.

David RePass (electronic mail, June 2, 2000)