Groen re-elected Montco Democratic chairman

By Margaret Gibbons Staff writer | Posted: Thursday, June 19, 2014 9:55 pm

Veteran Montgomery County Democratic Chairman Marcel L. Groen will continue to guide the party he brought from doormat status to the powerhouse it is today.

Some 305 county Democratic committee members and 40 proxy holders by voice vote Thursday night re-elected Groen to another four-year term as chairman.

"I am humbled by your support," said the 68-year-old Abington lawyer, who has served as his party's leader since 1994, after receiving a standing ovation.

The vote was overwhelming but not unanimous.

Eric Bradway, a former Lower Merion constable and party gadfly, nominated himself as chairman.

"It is time we stopped having a dictatorship," said Bradway, who received vocal support from about six people in the audience.

Groen told audience members that, under his leadership, there always has and will be a "seat at the table for everyone."

"We only have one request, that you work hard and give us everything you have," said Groen.

"Working together and working as a team is how we get things accomplished," he added.

Groen said he was proud of the increasing number of election victories of the party's candidates that culminated in 2011 when the party for the first time in more than 150 years took control of county government with the election of commissioner candidates Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards.

However, he said, he is even more proud that the Democratic candidates who have won election, whether to a municipal, county or state position, "have shown they can govern."

This will lead to more Democratic victories in the future because voters want good, qualified candidates, said Groen.

Other leadership posts filled at the party's reorganization meeting held at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School include:

First Vice Chairman: Joseph Foster, of Lower Merion, who served as the county organization's second vice chairman and who is chairman of the Lower Merion-Narberth Democratic committee.

Second Vice Chairman: Jeanne Sorg, a longtime Democratic activist who was elected Ambler's mayor last November and is the wife of former state lawmaker Rick Taylor.

Corresponding Secretary: Veronica Hill-Milbourne, a nurse from Horsham and vice chairman of the Horsham Democratic Committee.

Recording Secretary: Olivia Brady, a Norristown councilwoman who served as council president and has returned to the council after winning a special election for a two-year term.

Treasurer: Jason Salus, a former Conshohocken councilman who was sworn in as county treasurer in January 2012, becoming the first Democrat to hold that position.

SOURCE: http://www.theintell.com/news/local/groen-re-elected-montco-democratic-chairman/article_69ab471d-8d54-5bfc-aa97-676523cb80e9.html