The recent primary
process and presidential elections in the United States made history in many
ways. Not only were these moments in which America seemed to turn a new
political, social and cultural page in terms of affairs of state and policy,
but it also proved that overseas votes do count and can make a difference.
Over
the last four years, Democrats Abroad (DA) has grown and prospered, enjoying
the status of a bone fide state-based party. Italy’s DA has signed up thousands
of new members, registered thousands of voters, opened a vibrant chapter in Florence
and, more recently, has inaugurated a new chapter in Turin and is forming others
in Venice and Palermo.
The city of Florence
has played a fundamental role in DA Italy’s success: in the past four years,
the city’s DA chapter, which opened with just 50 members, has become the second
largest in Italy, with more than 1,200 members and counting.
DA
Italy attributes the success of the Florence chapter to the work and commitment
of Jo-Ann White, who in her free time, has built the Florence chapter into one
of the leading delegations in Europe and the world.
A
retail executive at Burberry, White has resided in Florence for 20 years and
founded the DA Florence chapter in 2005. During her stint as the Florence
chapter chair, she became the first ‘Florentine’ delegate to participate in the
designation of a presidential nominee for the U.S. Democratic Party at the
Democratic National Convention held in Denver last August 25 to 28.
At the DA Italy
board meeting held in Florence on March 28, White was elected country chair for
the 2009-2011 term. ‘As Florence chapter chair, one of my main goals was
boosting voter registration-no matter what the party affiliation. As country
chair, my main goal will be to expand the DA voter base throughout Italy. I
want to take the lessons learned in Florence to help empower the newer
chapters, like Torino, and help them to be self-sustaining and create connections
with their local institutions to create a sense of community.’
How
does White feel about being new head of DA in Italy? ‘When I joined DA four
years ago, I didn’t know one single American. I was assigned to the Milan
chapter because Florence didn’t have one at the time, so I started it; it’s
truly is a thrilling organization that opened its arms to me and let me run
with it.’
Florence’s new
chapter chair, Cathleen Compton, will work alongside other newly elected chairs
in Rome (Kass Thomas), Milan (Claudia Flisi) and Bologna (Liz Kaplan).
