Five members of the Democratic Central Committee of Shasta County (DCCSC), several other Shasta County Dems as well as two Siskiyou County Dems are vying to become delegates to the CADEM state meetings and conventions in the January 27, 2021 election. Known as the “ADEMs,” each Assembly District may elect 14 members, evenly divided between female and other-than-self-identified female candidates, to be Assembly District Delegates. These delegates will represent their communities at CADEM meetings throughout the region and the state.
There are 9 candidates on the ADEMS ballot from Shasta County, 2 from Siskiyou County and 1 from Modoc County vying for 14 AD1 delegate slots to the California Democratic Party Central Committee:
DCCSC Members Running for AD1 “ADEM” Delegate
- *Valerie Anderson
- *Ryan Duncanwood
- *Madison Zimmerman
- Courtney A Birss
- Robert Eugene Belgeri
- Miranda Edwards
- Matthew Gieck
- Alison Krupit
- Dash Waterbury
*Members of the Democratic Central Committee of Shasta County
Regional Candidates:
- Cary Rogers – Siskiyou County
- Matthew Hilliard – Siskiyou County
- Lawrence R. Rinder – Modoc County
Two ADEMs candidates from Shasta County resigned their positions on the ballot following our DCCSC Monthly General Meeting on January 11: Joy O’Connell was re-elected as a County Delegate, and DCCSC Treasurer Lisa Cole was appointed to a County Delegate vacancy.
Joy and Lisa will still appear on the ballot you receive in the mail, but we urge you to cast your vote for other candidates.
Go to https://adem.cadem.org/assembly-districts/ad-1/ for a list of all the candidates.
Biographies
Ryan Duncanwood
Ryan Duncanwood is a member of the Democratic Central Committee of Shasta County, a Board Member for Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, The Arc of California, and a member of TASH.
Ryan has worked to improve access to communications and technology, and monitors legislation that benefits people with disabilities and others in society who are marginalized. He lobbied a U.S. Congressman about Supplemental Security Income cuts, a State Senator about the need for housing, and promotes communication as a social justice issue.
Self-advocacy and communications devices have given Ryan independence and freedom. Living with Cerebral Palsy, he first spoke using a letter board, then moved on to more advanced devices which have allowed him to become a powerful advocate.
An avid sports fan, Ryan describes himself as a fun-loving, caring and proud Democrat!
Here’s Ryan urging a State Senator to advocate for better housing: https://youtu.be/3frRPHO5kwMJoy O’ConnellMy name is Joy O Connell. I am a lifelong Democrat. I have been active with the Democrat Central Committee of Shasta County since 2012 and have served as a CADEM Delegate for the last four years. I don’t believe in complaining about politics. If there are changes to be made, I believe we must participate in every way we can to make things better. This is why I am running to be an active AD1 Delegate. I ask for your support.
Madison Zimmerman
We are at a contingency point in our nation’s history. We may have won the presidential election, but there is still work to be done to make sure that our platform remains relevant. I was born and raised in Northern California, and as such have first hand experience with the issues or importance to our region and its diversity. We may have won the presidential election, but there is still work to be done to make sure that our platform remains relevant and prevents apathy. I am currently a member of the Shasta County Central Committee and served on the Shasta County Board of education from 2013-2014. I majored in history at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC and only recently moved back to Shasta County. Now that I am back, I aim to take what I learned academically and professionally to contribute to achieving progress. We need to keep an informed electorate in order to win. I aim to create better public messaging to make sure that people know what we stand for. I recall attending a state party convention for the first time in 2016, and being struck by the way that delegates were able to come together to create the platform.
We need to not just ‘convert’ people to the democratic party in our region, but work to create a political environment that helps retain young progressives. There is an importance of ‘youth’ representation as a force to make young democrats more likely to see themselves as stakeholders and stay (and vote) in Shasta County.
Valerie Anderson
My name is Valerie Anderson and I’ve been a resident of Shasta County, CA for more than thirty years, having moved as a nineteen year old from my hometown near Boise, ID for warmer weather! I count myself fortunate to have raised three boys in this beautiful part of the world and am proud that all three value the outdoors as I do.
My passion for this area has only increased in my years of residency here. It is that passion that spurred me to run as an Assembly District 1 Representative for the California Democratic Party State Central Committee. I care deeply about the environment of Northern California and believe that its citizens should have a strong voice in state policy making and plans. I worry that our area has been neglected when it comes to jobs consideration and believe we should be a focal point of building better opportunities for our citizens to thrive in competitive jobs. As big tech companies are leaving our state, I feel that opens doors for us to explore how to balance employment opportunities in our rural areas so that they are not confined to ‘the cities.’
I’m proud of our rural communities and the guts and grit and tenacity their people consistently demonstrate, I desire to take those qualities to the State level for the betterment of our way of life.
I’m an educator who has been active on the Shasta County Democratic Central Committee for the past four years and have helped to campaign for Audrey Denney as Congressional Representative in the last two elections. I fiercely believe in democracy with a little ‘d’ – that is, equality for all, even those who choose to live in our cherished rural areas.
I look forward to being a loud, sensible voice for our rural residents.