Your copy of the April, 2010 issue of The Democrat is now online!

From FCDC Chair, Rex Simmons.

As you know, the widespread use of personal computers and the Internet have radically changed how people and organizations communicate.  FCDC is no exception to these changes.  The Democrat, the printed FCDC monthly newsletter, has long been a means for keeping FCDC members informed about the business of FCDC, its committees, and various campaigns.  Now we need to consider changes to The Democrat to lower costs and improve how we communicate.

Shortly after my election as chair, I appointed a task force of communications experts who are also FCDC members.  They have unanimously recommended that we convert The Democrat to an email-based electronic edition.   In addition, the consensus of the steering committee is that we convert immediately to the electronic version.  By doing so we will save $9,000 annually in expenses.

Starting next month, you will begin to see some changes in format used for The Democrat.  We will transition to an all-electronic email newsletter.  Initially there may not be much that changes in content, but the Communications Task Force will be providing us with more recommendations for improvements, and the steering committee and I will consider these recommendations and other changes that improve how we communicate with our members and other Democrats in Fairfax County.

I am asking the district chairs to discuss the conversion with our members to learn about any concerns, so they are not overlooked.  For a few who do not have access to email, we will print our email newsletter and mail it to them.  They are valued members of the FCDC family and we want to ensure they remain informed about our activities and events. 

Many members of the FCDC have worked tirelessly to get a printed edition of The Democrat out every month.  I want to thank especially Ben Shepherd, our editor of The Democrat, who has put many hours into producing and improving the newsletter.  In addition, I want to thank Rachel Rifkind who was editor before Ben.  Also, we have had a robust group who assembled and mailed The Democrat every month.  And finally, the personnel we employed to format and print the document have been consistently reliable.  All deserve our appreciation for their service.

Your copy of the April, 2010 issue of The Democrat is now online!