(An interview with Kathleen by new volunteer contributor Pam Guyot)
We got a rare, look-behind-the-scenes opportunity recently when we spoke with Kathleen Hayek, Chair of Delaware County Democrats about her exciting new role as our official convention delegate at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Kathleen told us she had just cast her vote as a delegate in a virtual roll call process, pre-convention, nominating Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party presidential candidate—then soon after saw headlines announcing the news that V.P. Harris has secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, becoming official at the end of the virtual roll call vote a few days later.
Kathleen Hayek represents the first Delaware County delegate to the Democratic convention in recent memory. It came about from President Joe Biden’s belief that grassroots democracy is our bedrock, opening the election process to all. In starting the 2024 campaign he charged each state with soliciting delegate volunteers with much broader outreach than previously, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded by posting notices on the NYS website inviting all those interested to apply, offering training sessions about what it takes to be a delegate, how to meet the required number of signatures, and meet other requirements—all following a specific but accessible process.
So, our own Kathleen saw the NYS website notice and decided to apply—we’re so glad she did! said she needed 300 petition signatures, which seemed a challenge at first, but then petitions started coming in, and coming in, and coming in—resulting in a total that exceeded 600% of the required endorsements! Later, when she found out she’d been selected as a delegate, some of us could hear her excitement all the way up to Margaretville!
We wanted to know Chair Hayek’s thoughts as the Chicago convention nears, what she’s most looking forward to and what she most wants to see come out of it. Here are a few of the things she told us:
The Windy City: When Kathleen was a kid in 1968, she remembers seeing the excitement of the Chicago Democratic Convention on TV, with the “Chicago Seven” and all that was at stake. We found it endearing to learn that even from the get-go, as a child, our respected Chair wanted to be part of making things happen, making things better for all, that she heads to Chicago on a mission from her younger self.
Celebration: As Democrats we’ve been through a lot in the past 8 years and very recent events—such as President Biden’s selfless withdrawal of his candidacy for the betterment of the country, and his subsequent whole-hearted endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris—have broken up the ground of our status quo, lit a fire under our collective will and propelled us in concerted efforts with consolidated energy. This energy has been hard won and should indeed be celebrated. So, what does Chair Hayek say about the celebration? “Bring it on!” (Kathleen knows how; she hails from New Orleans—where they definitely know how to party.)
50 Year Plan: To our question about what result she’d like to see come out of the convention, Kathleen responded thoughtfully and spoke candidly about mistakes of the past, inadequately protected rights and insufficient accountability. She said she thought the time was right to take stock of where we are and what we need to correct—to get where we intend to go.
Fifty is just a number, but a long-range plan is essential to the work of course-correcting, studying what we need to improve, analyzing and updating best practices, and finding the cracks we need to caulk. With Kathleen’s infectious smile she spoke of gardening, “We need to make sure our Democracy Garden is healthy, is seeding and propagating; we need to weed and pay attention to its care, as with anything.” Another comment that struck us as particularly cogent was, “I feel that we are moving into a new era, beginning a new awareness of what democracy truly means, and along with it a new sense of what’s required to nurture it.”
Political Celebs: Who does Ms. Hayek MOST want to meet at the convention?
We were dying to know and loved the list she came up with, lots of faves in addition to Kamala and Joe, which included Hillary, Bernie, Elizabeth, Pete and let’s see … many others, such a great cast of Democratic heroes!