As of this weekend, Shelby County’s Republicans are a step ahead of their Democratic counterparts in reorganizing. The GOP, whose scheduled party caucuses were snowed out earlier this month, conflated the caucus event into their convention Sunday at Houston High School, elected new members and new officers with minimal controversy, and elected a new chairman, lawyer Lang Wiseman, by acclamation.
Not even a resolution on the hot-button issue of abortion, one that essentially put the party on record as opposing any government funding of abortions and which passed on voice vote, would roil the local party’s general solidarity.
Democrats: Bailey vs. Turner
Meanwhile, Shelby County Democrats, who managed to complete their party caucuses back on March 7, prepared for a showdown vote on a contested chairmanship Saturday at Airways Middle School. The two Democratic contenders, both lawyers, are veteran activist Jay Bailey and current party parliamentarian Van Turner.
