According to local Democrats, it’s the first time “in living memory” the party has opened an office in the Deerfield Valley, once a reliable Republican stronghold. The Wilmington office, located at 5 East Main Street (across the street from the Wilmington Town Office building), is the third party headquarters Democrats have opened in the county, including one in Brattleboro and another in Bellows Falls.
Although it may appear to be a foregone conclusion that the Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will sweep the polls in Vermont, Dover Democrat Marshall Brooks says local Democrats aren’t focusing only on the national races. “There are local elections to consider,” he says. “Frankly, I see it as a reflection of grassroots consciousness in Vermont as well as the rest of the country. People feel strongly that being visible is important for this election.” Local representatives Ann Manwaring and John Moran were on hand for the event, as well as Bennington County Senators Dick Sears and Bob Hartwell. Sears cut the ribbon officially opening the office.
Brooks and his wife, Stephanie Greene, are staffing the office, along with other volunteers from Wilmington, Whitingham, and other valley towns. Brooks says the idea to open an office was discussed at Windham County Democratic meetings, and the Dover Democrats stepped up to the plate. “This wasn’t a top-down thing,” he said. “We didn’t receive a directive or a bunch of money. We’ve been working hard to take care of our bit of territory over here and this was something we decided we would do.”
Although the office serves the Deerfield Valley, Brooks says a significant amount of their clientele has been out-of-state residents looking for Obama signs. The office’s location on Route 9, close to the junction of Route 100 North, he says, is perfect for reaching out to tourists. “They’re looking for Obama stuff, and they want to take it back home,” he says. “We’ve sold bumper stickers to people from as far away as Maryland and Delaware. They come in off the road, and they’re frustrated in terms of what’s going on in the big political picture, and they seem to be excited that we’re here.”
But local residents have also been stopping by the office, Brooks says, and they’ve been just as enthusiastic. “We’ve had people from Wilmington and Halifax and Whitingham, and they’re excited that there’s this presence in the valley,” he said. “People are riled up, they’re concerned, and I think people are very involved,” says Brooks. “And I think McCain’s choice of running mate has motivated people. People are really scared about that.”
People who have stopped in at the office are also concerned about the effect an economic downturn will have on the local economy, and how it will impact families in the area, according to Brooks. “A lot of people are just beginning to link the dots,” he says. “They’re realizing their fuel bill is going to go through the ceiling. I don’t think people realized the ramifications of foreign oil and oil dependency before this.”
“One of the reasons I got involved in the party about a year ago is that I think it’s important to discuss things with like-minded people and with people who have ideas that are different from yours,” he says. “When people stop at the office, they’re going to have a discussion – it’s natural. And it’s informational, you’ll learn a lot of stuff that you’re not going to get from a newspaper or anywhere else. It’s important, and it’s participatory.”
Brooks says the valley’s shift from solid Republican voting territory to a mixed, Democratic “leaning” area may be due, in part, to a change in demographics. “I’ve only been here for about five years, but I’ve been coming up for more than 20,” he says. And he’s not the only visitor turned resident. “There are so many people from out of state that have settled here. It’s sort of cosmopolitan in that regard, and in terms of traditional Vermont politics, I’m sure that has been a factor.”
But not all of the area’s growing number of Democrats are from somewhere else. Brooks’ wife is originally from Dover. Her father, publisher Stephen Greene, was a Republican legislator from 1953 to 1954. “It’s hybridized here,” Brooks says. “I’m still sorting it out myself.”
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