Candidate Statements
The candidates are in alphabetical order. One candidate is running for both positions; his statement appears under the Chair listing. If there is a vacancy in the 1st Vice Chair position, there will automatically be an election, and those votes will be counted.
Announced for Chair:
Kelly Dawson
I’m Kelly Dawson and I am running to be your next Santa Fe County Chair. I am from Santa Fe, my family has been here forever, I went to Wood Gormley, Capshaw, St. Kate’s, New Mexico Military Institute, UNM and St. Mary’s School of Law. My law practice was a civil litigation practice primarily representing rural and community hospitals that were being forced out of business by insurance company’s illegal conduct.
I put my private practice on hold to open a cannabis store when New Mexico went recreational and opened a store in Española.
I am your normal every-day gay, half-Hispanic, half-Irish, former attorney who owns a pot store in Española.
I currently serve as the precinct chair. I took that position about the same time the Trump regime took to D.C. In that role I understood the times we are facing and came up with the RESIST signs. You may know about them.
The RESIST signs are an embodiment of the reason I am running — our strength and resilience at the community level will be the only thing that changes the tide of the Trump regime.
We watch in horror as the Trump regime unfolds, and the only meaningful bulwark has been rooted in community activism.The areas I would like to see much improvement in are messaging, community involvement and official accountability.
The Democratic Party is the only party that will protect you from birth to death. Whether by championing female reproductive rights, health care, worker rights, environmental rights and rights to death, this is the party fighting for our rights. Why are we missing these voters? We need to communicate better, and more often. I learned this with the RESIST signs.
Without question more needs to be done to inspire our youth to be involved. Without question we need to raise our visibility with community involvement. We need to incorporate the local campus Democrats at St. John’s, the Santa Fe Community College and Northern New Mexico Community into our dialogue. The youth are almost as effective as the senior community.
I am a firm believer that you teach people how to treat you. I believe that we, taught by our elected officials, are willing to tolerate a level of abuse that is no longer tolerable. I believe to have a healthy party that can legitimately attract the masses we must be a party of accountability.
I believe that accountability, organization and change is possible, but it will take our dedicated involvement. I appreciate your consideration.
Mary Jane Parks
Hello Democrats,
This is the work I see in the DPSFC led by an Executive Committee made up of some of the hardest working volunteers that I know in political activism. They put in countless hours. Ward leaders and precinct captains are the backbone of the party, a grassroots movement supported by thoughtful and creative committee leads and officers. The team together works hard to elect Democratic candidates in our county, state and nation in general elections.
But first, the primary. We said early last year that during this primary we would reach DTS voters. And now it is time for action. The team listened over the past year to build messaging ideas to attract new, independent, disillusioned, busy, occasional voters to vote with us in the June 2 Democratic Party Primary. So many of you already participate in this work. You who have helped with ideas, thank you! You who have reached other organizations, new neighbors, and businesses with our literature, new ideas, less politics and more congeniality – thank you! Next, we see this election campaign unfold.
Until November, together, we will fight for voters throughout the county, we will ask for votes at the doors, and we will speak with excitement on the phones; we will colorfully persuade in our texts and we will post with NM cards. In NM, we are grateful to speak with a Democratic message with results from a winning governor, successful legislature, dedicated statewide officials, and a fully Democratic Congressional delegation. We must take back our national government and keep NM blue here at home.
To all Democrats, I ask you to help this home, protected by our NM values of diversity and kindness, and remain active in your local ward. Either from your homes or at the headquarters, there is no more critical time to volunteer than this year.
In the county, the role of the Chair is to preside at CCC and DPSFC meetings and to generally manage county campaigns and party matters. I bring experience as ward chair and for 5 years as Party Vice Chair. I pledge to ward chairs and precinct captains that I support your outreach. I am a sociologist by education and outlook. I look at the systems to help me understand “what is going wrong” then ask “what infrastructure needs to work better to fix it?” At the end of the day, all systems require individual talent to pull together, and when this happens, why, that synergy is better than a light rain shower on a summer’s day.
I will protect the party structure, bylaws, political issues, and good name. I will be an activist and use my voice to advocate for others. I will support people. I will reach out to the community. The hardworking team at DPSFC and you activists together are a machine energized around elections! This primary and general election we will see vigorous campaigners! If you haven’t yet, join us, will you? Answer the call, reply to the text, open the door, and ignite your passion for our county, state and country. We will be right as rain.
Announced for 1st Vice Chair:
Kelly Dawson (See statement above under listing for Chair candidates)
Jonnalyn Grover
We have a great county party organization, and I’m running for 1st Vice Chair to help ensure that our success continues as we grow and evolve.
I have been involved with DPSFC since my retirement from Coldwell Banker Trails West Realty, where I managed a staff of 35+ and learned about Santa Fe demographics and values. Before that and after earning my bachelor’s degree in IT from Oklahoma University, I worked with Holiday Inn Corp. and Wilson Foods as a System Analyst and Developer, a job that required analytical skills as well as people skills. To further those human relations and communication skills I earned a certificate in mediation during my last years as a real estate broker.
During the past five years, I have served as Ward 2C Vice Chair then Chair. I also serve on the Communications Committee, designing the newsletter (which I love doing) and other graphic artworks for various DPSFC committees. Organizing office volunteers and assisting with postcard campaigns have been among my contributions for the last two campaign seasons. Plus, I have been an active canvasser and consider myself a people person.
I regularly volunteer with the DPSFC Community Services Program committee at The Food Depot, delivering meals for Kitchen Angels, preparing lunches for Mobile Shower Lunches, and I volunteer to help with DPSFC events including Pride Parade, Mardi Gras and whatever else needs doing throughout the year. If you need campaign buttons made or tables set up for an event, count me in.
In other words, I am collaborative and a worker, and I’d like to continue that work in a leadership role as we enter this critical election year.