Dear Fellow Democrats, After much deliberation and discussion I have decided to seek the position of Chair of the

Nebraska Democratic Party at this Summers convention. Many of you know me from my campaigns for Attorney General in 2002 and my run for Governor in 2010. I have twice served as local chair of Scott Bluff County, the Chair of Chairs and 2nd Associate Chair of the NDP. In addition, I was recognized by the NDP as an FDR recipient for my work for the party. Running two statewide races gives me a unique perspective on where the party was, is, and where, I believe, it needs to be. I have many ideas on how to make the party more effective statewide and give us the opportunity to hold constitutional offices once again. First and foremost, I propose to reorganize the party along regional lines. I believe that we should divide the state into eleven regions. Those regions will select a regional director to carry the water for that region on the State Executive Committee, enhancing communication and bringing a more representative view of the entire state. For those of you in Lincoln and Omaha who are currently raising eyebrows, my proposal is to make you a region . By taking a more regional focus, we make our party stronger and more effective from the Missouri to the Wildcats and from the Niobrara to the Republican.

Second, every county will be responsible for candidate recruitment, whether for local office, legislative district, or statewide office. We have to build a farm team if we are to become relevant on a statewide basis. I applaud Lincoln and Omaha for what they have accomplished over many cycles. It is now time to take the next step and put us back into the thick of the battle on a statewide basis. Third, I would like to see candidates for office come from every region for every office. We need to have contested primaries to increase our visibility and get people talking about what we believe in. The only way you get people to pay attention is through discussion and arguments in the marketplace. I am reminded of that old chestnut If a man is alone in the forest and then speaks is he still wrong? If hes alone who really knows? Fourth, it is time to stop allowing the other side to label us. We need to brand ourselves as the party of efficient and effective government. We need to point out the hypocrisy of the other side. In that vein, we need to invite all voices to the discussion particularly those in our midst who may have a different take on what needs to happen. We need to have a concerted effort to increase discussion, not limit it , understanding that all discourse must remain civil.

Finally, I believe in transparency. The business of the party is your business. Operating the NDP as a corporate structure with a top down emphasis is not an effective way to operate a political party. We need to grow our base and turn the traditional pyramid of leadership on its head so that County Parties are once again driving the bus and the NDP is providing services desperately needed by our candidates and our counties. I have been a candidate and a party officer. I know what it takes to win races and the assistance it takes, which, frankly, has been nonexistent to downticket candidates. This has to stop. No one expected me to get more than 1015% of the vote in my campaign for governor, given the circumstances. I got nearly double that number due to the hard work of my team and the effort of a lot of good democrats all over the state. I would appreciate you sharing this letter at your local presidential caucus as well as your county convention and look forward to your support at the Convention in June. Together we will make the Nebraska NDP relevant once again from the Missouri to the Wildcats and from the Niobrara to the Republican. Sincerely,

Mike Meister,The Man from the West

P.S. For those of you missing my campaign song you can find it on my website along with my thoughts and ideas as well as the Ask Mike button I used to answer questions and take suggestions during the campaign. You can also Like me

www.mike2012.info

on Facebook.

CD3 News March 20, 2012 Issue 16 Page 1 of 1 c/o Marion Bahensky, 1021 6th St., St. Paul, NE 68873 mbahensky@msn.com or mbahensky@gmail.com