Winifred (Wini) Robinson (NEA MB) Promoted to Senior Product Specialist

Help me congratulate NBSN member Winifred (Wini) Robinson (NEA MB) on her recent promotion.  Wini has been employed by NEA Member Benefits for 17 years.  Having started her career as an Administrative Assistant to Coordinator/Discount Programs and New Product Development to her previous position of Product Specialist (Trust Programs) she has now been promoted to Sr. Product Specialist.  She has had an extensive and exciting career working in insurance marketing arena and this promotion is a reflection of the hard work and dedication she has made with NEA MB.

Kudos to Wini on this very fine accomplishment.

Peace and blessings!

Submitted by:  Malcolm B. Staples
 

Sinkfield named to National Committee 

A Montgomery resident has been elected to the Dem­ocratic National Committee as Alabama's designated lone committeeman. He is one of only five state resi­dents who sit on the party's most powerful council in Washington.

 

Darryl Sinkfield, 42, a longtime civil rights and ed­ucation advocate, will be­come one of the main "go-to politicos" statewide when his four-year term begins Aug. 29, the last day of the Democratic National Con­vention in Denver.

 

Sinkfield is succeeding one of the state's most visi­ble and powerful Democrat­ic leaders -- Joe L. Reed, who has mentored him throughout his 20 years as a Democratic Party official.

 

He developed an early in­terest in politics, beginning at age 19 as a volunteer with Reed's Alabama Democratic Caucus, while attending Alabama State University.

 

Professionally, Sinkfield works for the Alabama Edu­cation Association repre­senting the interests of teachers and support staff before local school boards.

 

As Alabama's Democratic National Committeeman, he will have a voice in all poli­cies and politics that ema­nate from the national party in Washington to every level of government.

 

If a Democrat wins the presidency this year, his power will increase two-fold, allowing him access from the West Wing of the White House to the cloakrooms of Capitol Hill.

 

Before his term begins, Sinkfield sat down to talk about some of the issues that confront the Democrats as they seek a nominee for president.

 

Q: What do you consid­er to be some of the most important political issues that face America?

 

A: Increased funding for public education is an issue that is reaching a critical mass from Alabama's State House to the nation's capital because recent shortfalls in funding threaten to short-change our children. Mak­ing sure our young people receive a fantastic education from kindergarten through high school is the best form of economic development we can create to ensure a good economy. Iraq is also an is­sue that warrants a close ex­amination by whomever is elected president in Novem­ber. Our troops never be­longed in Iraq, our involve­ment was based on a series of distortions and half-truths and the first thing the new Democratic president needs to do is order an orga­nized withdrawal of our troops before any more lives or money is lost.

 

How has the Clinton-Obama rivalry helped the Democratic Party?

 

I feel the hotly contested race between our party's two frontrunners is good for both our party and for Amer­ica because it's energizing our voters. For the first time in my life, I am seeing large numbers of college-aged peo­ple, African-Americans, and other diverse groups regis­tering to vote and participat­ing in primaries and cau­cuses across America. All these new people and the opinions they represent are helping move democracy forward in our republic and that's a very positive thing.

 

How has the stalemate in selecting a Democratic nominee hurt your par­ty?

 

I don't believe it has hurt us. However, it has helped the Republican candidate to a small extent by allowing him a brief respite from any active debate on substantive issues. Mr. (John) McCain has been able to do a lot of light lifting in his race lately because he isn't being forced to discuss any of the hard is­sues that face our nation. But as soon as we determine our party's nominee, we will put his feet to the fire and get him to talk about high gas prices, Iraq, the economy and his support for many of the failed policies of the Bush administration.

 

If Obama doesn't re­ceive the nomination, will it hurt or hinder black voter turnout?

 

There has been some con­versation among a small percentage of black voters, which has been picked-up by the media, but I feel it's un­founded. I have never heard any African-Americans who are within the ranks of the party ever say they feel this will occur. There is way too much at stake for our na­tion's black citizens to lose if the Republicans remain in office. It simply will not hap­pen.

 

Should Clinton drop out of her quest for the Democratic nomination and why?

 

I feel it's a matter of per­sonal choice and privilege that is totally up to her. All the candidates have a right to run as long as they feel they have a chance of obtain­ing the party's nomination and she must determine what's in her best interest. Our chairman, Dr. (Howard) Dean, has said he would like to see it resolved by June, so the party will have time to unify before the convention, but it's not written in stone. At this point, it's still up in the air and I would hate to see any political party at­tempt to dictate to an indi­vidual candidate what they should or shouldn't do in terms of dropping out of a political race.

 

What will be some of your duties as a national committeeman in the Democratic Party?

 

My role will be to help our state party organize new Democratic clubs in Alaba­ma, register new voters and serve as one of the Alabama voices before the national party. I will have to be in Washington for at least four formal meetings a year and will communicate issues that come from the national committee back to our Ala­bama members. My new po­sition is totally without a salary or compensation, and I will even pay for all of my own travel expenses. So this is done out of love and com­mitment by me to advance the principles of the Demo­cratic Party in Alabama and America.