Summit County Dems elect new chair, others
Derrig replaces Bevan, who led party 7 years
The Summit County Democrat Party has a new chair.
Tom Bevan passed the torch Wednesday evening to Mark Derrig, the former treasurer, at the Democrats’ organizational meeting and leadership election at North High School. Derrig ran unopposed.
Derrig “has the passion, the energy and the experience that we need to continue the work of our party,” Bevan said.
Derrig said his immediate priority is the November election, with all upcoming races critical for the party.
He said he plans to make the party a truly all-inclusive big tent by working more closely with the county’s Democratic clubs to recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds and locales inside the community.
In his outgoing remarks, Bevan said he was honored to have spent the last seven years leading the party, highlighting accomplishments including maintaining a Democratic supermajority on County Council and helping Rep. Emilia Sykes of Akron get elected to the U.S. House.
“I’d like to think that I played some small role in making some of those successes happen,” Bevan said, “but the truth is, all those successes were a team effort.”
Taking Derrig’s spot as treasurer is Morgan Ferrell, who also ran unopposed.
Edna Borders was reelected as first vice chair as the lone nominee.
Omar Banks was reelected second vice chair over Fran Wilson in a 125-27 vote.
Valerie McKitrick was reelected third vice chair over Arell Tee in a 103-47 vote.
Russ Balthis was reelected as secretary and Aja Mixon was reelected as deputy treasurer, both in uncontested races.
2 officer races highlight young Democrats’ drive
In their pitch to be elected second vice chair, Wilson, a fourth-generation Akronite and community organizer, said some Democrats had likened the challenge to Banks to “staging a coup” by attempting to make the party more inclusive of the left, young people and queer people.
In order to be truly supportive and all inclusive, Wilson said rhetoric like that has to stop.
They said their intent was not to run an opposition campaign, but rather they believe their experiences as a community organizer can be a valuable asset to the party.
“We can challenge each other and ourselves to be better,” Wilson said.
In response, Banks, who has held the position for eight years, and worked with the Summit County Children Services Board, Oriana House and the Community Aids Network/Akron Pride Initiative (CANAPI), said he wasn’t yet tired of putting in work for
the party, citing an old gospel song. He talked about the importance of the upcoming elections, and the importance of party unity.
“I am a Democrat, I am passionate about being a Democrat, I love Summit County and there ain’t nobody stopping me from loving Summit County,” Banks said. “So, whether I win or lose, you will still see Omar Banks because I’m not tired yet.”
Wilson said that their loss is an example of queer people and organizers being excluded. However, they tempered their remarks with optimism.
“I think there is a lot of support out there and it is growing for more folks to be at the table, so I think, slowly but surely, I think we can start to change the party a bit,” Wilson said.
Banks promised to prioritize the party’s younger members.
“We need to take heed to what they’re saying, we need to listen to them, and we need to incorporate them into moving forward so that they can be our party of tomorrow,” Banks said.
Tee, who lost the third vice chair race to McKitrick, said young people have been excluded but are unhindered in trying to gain a seat at the table.
“I’m going to step into the fray and say not only are young Dems here, not only are we part of the ship, we’re fully on board and fully dedicated to winning in 2024,” he said.
McKitrick, previously the president of the Summit County Progressive Democrats and a member of the Akron school board, and current member of the Summit County Board of Elections, said she will continue to defend Democratic values and focus on getting as many people registered and to the polls as possible.
Encouraging words for party members
At the end of the officer elections and before administering oaths, Summit County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Towell had some encouraging words for Wilson and Tee.
“Thank you for your energy and for coming forward,” Towell said, “and there is a place for all of us in this party.”
Derrig said he was encouraged by new members of the party participating.
“I’m extremely excited to see new people step up to the plate, put their names forward,” Derrig said. “It’s not a comfortable thing to do. You have to stand here, ask people to support you. We need all hands on deck. The younger community is so important to this party, and we’re gonna continue to work with them and help grow that coalition to be even stronger and they’re doing a great job.”