Letter: A great Democratic Party chairman

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007 | 7:03 a.m.

A former Democratic activist who has left the party to become nonpartisan, Johnathan Abbinett, wrote in a Feb. 26 letter that Tom Collins has divided the Democratic Party as chairman. Abbinett promised facts, but delivered innuendo. In fact, Tom Collins has served as leader of our party with distinction.

The Nevada Democratic Party bylaws and charter do not provide a structure for statewide caucuses, such as Abbinett's veterans caucus. The executive board of the party, based on the bylaws committee's recommendations and not Collins' unilateral action, chose to suspend these caucuses until a formal structure is authorized by the governing documents. I am happy to say that for the first time in years the Democratic Party in Nevada is following its own rules to the benefit of its entire membership.

After winning a close election at the party's state convention last year, Collins' first act was to drive around the state on a rural media tour, meeting with the press and Democratic leaders in each county. Since then he has raised a significant amount of money and overseen our party as we have continued to organize and grow. Evidence of his leadership success, and that of our entire list of county chairs including Clark County's Liz Foley, is the election of Democrats to four of the six state constitutional offices, two additional legislative seats, and the Clark County District F commissioner seat. In addition, the party is well under way to organizing the much reported presidential caucuses for 2008.

Steven D. Fernlund, Las Vegas

The writer is a Clark County delegate to the Nevada Democratic Party Executive Board and a member of its bylaws committee.