October, 2008

Explore possibilities

Posted by vjp on Oct 26, 2008 in Uncategorized | 1 comment

So says Jeff Schapiro of The Richmond Times Dispatch.

Women make up half the state’s population. And while their numbers, as local elective officials are growing, women — in both parties — hold just over 16 percent of Virginia’s legislative seats.

[...]

… the Farm Team is being pieced together ahead of a historic election, one that could reap a rich harvest of prospects for local and legislative offices decided in 2009 and the nuts-and-bolts apparatuses that back candidates.

In other words, a farm team, from which the next Mary Sue Terry might emerge — and perhaps go even further than the pioneer from Patrick County.

Read more here.

Interested in The Farm Team? Contact your regional chair.

Changing the face of politics

Posted by vjp on Oct 22, 2008 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

That is what The Farm Team intends to do.

What began as conversation at the Women’s Caucus Breakfast during the Commonwealth’s annual Jefferson-Jackson celebration in February has blossomed into a ground game effort dedicated to electing women candidates. Hosted by former Attorney General Mary Sue Terry at her farm in Patrick County, 23 women gathered for a retreat in late September to initiate a new effort they’ve dubbed the “Farm Team”.

Ms. Terry’s drive and desire to promote the interests of women in politics is compelling. She believes the Farm Team is really a “dream team” — women from all areas of the Commonwealth with the experience, energy and resources to change the political landscape in Virginia. She says she is “realistically hopeful” for the future and sees her role as encouraging active involvement and “being as helpful as possible to potential candidates.”

Read more here.

Welcome!

Posted by vjp on Oct 22, 2008 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

“Between 1924 and 1933, six women ran successfully for seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, pioneering a wider role for women in Virginia politics.  All were Democrats (the majority party in Virginia at the time), and each had a background as a teacher or educator.  They were elected not from the heartland of the state but rather from its extremities – the tidewater and the southwest.” [Library of Virginia Women's History Exhibit]

And so it begins. Welcome to The Farm Team!