Massachusetts Federation of Republican Women - Winter 2005 Newsletter

Meeting Challenges

Debora McCarthy of Worcester is Third Vice President of the MFRW and has been a member of the Worcester Club since January 2004. Recently, Debbie was the Chair of the Finance Committee for her husband, Bill McCarthy who ran unsuccessfully for Sheriff of Worcester County. Debbie is also a member of the City of Worcester Republican Committee and the Worcester County Republican Club. During the past decade, Debbie was a Confidential Assistant to the Republican Governor of Louisiana for 7 years. She has been married for 14 years to Bill; they have three children — William - 13, Lauren - 11, and James - 9.

This year, her primary responsibility as third Vice will be to chair a marketing committee for the MFRW to increase overall club membership and to increase the visibility of the MFRW to the general public. We asked her to share some of her thoughts:

Lately, in Massachusetts, when the media or friends mention the President, I am reminded of this past election and how successful it was for the Republicans on a national scale. The Republican party is now in control of both the House and the Senate; and, as we know, Congress is working well with the Executive Branch.

I am also excited about the prospects for the future for party activists and candidates on a local level. Here in the Commonwealth, the party is set to grow and I have some suggestions as to how we can market this effort and help our local groups and candidates:

We must recruit new members to the party, especially young people in high school. Their generation has different needs and motivations. We need to address those; we need to pique their interest in the political process; we need to get them involved and — hopefully — enrolled.

There is a second group of potential members — recent immigrants whose current lack of interest in politics may wekk be a combination of being ignored by the ruling political class and being unfamiliar with the political process. We must make a concerted effort to welcome these people to the new Republican Party in Massachusetts.

The MFRW is well-suited to play a vital role in this future growth. I look forward to working with our individual clubs in the coming year and I welcome your suggestions and ideas.