Gotham City: New Democratic Chairman Has Seats to Fill

Gotham City: New Democratic Chairman Has Seats to Fill

by Frank Pizzoli

At age 11, James Young, Dauphin County’s new Democratic Party Chairman, now 58, received a medal from the Valley Forge Foundation for his volunteer work in voter registration. He’s been involved with politics ever since.

Young has witnessed politics from every angle. He’s handled candidates, run for office, and now will influence the selection of other candidates. He also wants to attract new ideas and energy to the party.

As a candidate, Young energized politics while being a resident of the Erie region.

In 1984, Young gave then-Congressman Tom Ridge his stiffest opposition, running against him in the congressional race. Although he lost, Young drew 37 percent of the vote — no other Ridge congressional opponent ever received more than 22 percent of the vote in his challenge to the sitting congressman.

”That campaign was run the way they’re supposed to be run,” Young said. He and Ridge held 11 debates across the congressional district. Four of which were televised, all of which were given heavy media coverage as they occurred.

In 1986, after many years as a professional academic, and following his congressional campaign, Young moved to Harrisburg to work as political director for the Pennsylvania Social Services Union. He now serves as an academic chair at Central Penn College.

What does Young face as chairman, a post he will hold until at least May 2000? Well, he’s already faced Mayor Stephen Reed in a formal meeting to forge common ground. Apparently, he was able to clear up a misunderstanding that swelled out of proportion when the local daily reported that Reed, who was away on vacation when the county group elected Young, opposed his ascendancy to the post. “We’re fine,” Young said, confidently.

A more daunting task is holding onto, even increasing, the number of registered Democratic voters. County registration figures reflect the trend underway, both statewide and nationally.

“Six percent of the county’s registered voters are Independents,” Young points out.

He suspects that they are newer, younger registrants rather than “switch-over” voters. Republicans hold a 57 percent to 37 percent edge over Democrats.

“If a Republican candidate doesn’t pull at least 60 percent of the vote in Dauphin County, then he or she is in trouble,” Young says, discussing a performance figure that is often used to gauge how well a candidate would do in a statewide race.

Regarding his leadership goals and vision for the party, Young seeks to attract a combination of professionals and minority groups as both registered voters and as participants in an open process.

“These groups may feel ‘excluded’ from the political process for pretty much the same reason. They don’t think their involvement will amount to anything significant,” Young says, adding that he thinks otherwise. “My goal is to open up the entire party process.”

Potential new party members and activists primarily hail from the City of Harrisburg— What’s a nice Democratic city doing in a Republican county like this? “What we have here in Dauphin County isn’t different than Lancaster where you have the same situation — a strong Democratic city with the rest of the county a heavy Republican stronghold,” Young observes.

York City and County are similar. Lebanon elected a Democratic mayor in the last round. There are exceptions. Robert Casey carried the city in his bids for the governor’s mansion. Then, Harris Wofford ran against then-Attorney General and former Governor Dick Thornburgh and he held him to 53 percent of the vote in Dauphin County, a figure below the normally high vote expected for a Republican candidate. Likewise, Judge Jeannine Turgeon, a Democratic candidate, carried the city when she ran for the bench.

So what qualities do voters look for in a candidate, regardless of party affiliation?

“Clearly, voters want candidates who will speak ‘straight’ to them. No fooling around. Say what you mean and mean what you say,” Young says firmly. He also thinks that voters are tired of the ‘politics of resentment,’ a phrase Young uses to describe politicians who play upon white, middle-class anxieties and resentments about people of color.

According to Young, Richard Nixon learned about playing the “resentment” card from George Wallace’s third-party challenge in 1968. “Nixon’s slogan was ‘law and order.’ Wallace was less guarded about his racial positions. But we all knew what each meant,” Young remembers. “I’d like to see those days over once and for all. They serve no one constructively.”

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