HAMLET — The Richmond County Democratic Party’s Morrison-Deane-Goodman dinner at Cole Auditorium is entering its 10th year and is considered the biggest fundraiser of the year for the party, according to Chairman Jeff Joyner.
The guest speaker for this year’s event will be state Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, who made headlines this year as the only legislator to show up for work on a snowy February day, chronicling the General Assembly’s “most productive day” in social media postings.
Although it was all in good fun, he single-handedly “passed” bills green-lighting Medicaid expansion, banning puppy mills, establishing independent redistricting, investing in wind and solar, increasing child care subsidies and giving Charlotte a new airport.
Former senator Gene McLaurin will introduce Jackson as the speaker for the dinner and considers the attorney a rising star on the North Carolina political scene.
“He’s a very bright young man with an excellent grasp of the issues that are not only facing our state now, but as a father, an eye to the future of how North Carolina addresses some issues going forward,” said McLaurin. “He’s just the type of person that I think people in Richmond County will enjoy hearing from. He’s a great speaker, great debater, and I just think folks will enjoy not only hearing from him, but he’s someone who has a really bright future in public service. He’s gonna really be good for folks to listen to.”
McLaurin, who worked with Jackson in the Senate, said he was really impressed with Jackson’s intellect and his grasp of the issues soon after coming to Raleigh.
“A lot of people learned about him that day he showed up and was the only one that was in the legislature,” McLaurin added.
Joyner echoed McLaurin’s remarks regarding Jackson, calling him “an excellent speaker because of the things he’s done like that,” referring to his day as the one-man legislature.
The county Democratic Party chairman has high expectations for the Morrison-Deane-Goodman dinner, with tickets serving as a donation to the party. Joyner is hoping for 150 people to be in attendance and for this event to serve as a catalyst to jump-start the party’s 2016 campaign.
“This is our major fundraiser. This will be for us to have a storefront campaign headquarters next September,” Joyner said. “For us to be able to rent and set up a storefront headquarters three or four months prior to the November election.”
That is one of the long-term goals Joyner has in mind for the local party. The other is bringing Richmond County Democrats together for a night — from all walks of life.
“We want to bring the people of Richmond County together. I’ve worked hard to reach out and get a good mixture,” Joyner said. “I consider Democrats being what you find on main-street America, from one end of the scale to the other. So that’s what we expect to see at this fundraiser — a microcosm of main-street America.”
The dinner is named after three individuals who were prominent political figures not only in Richmond County, but for the state of North Carolina.
Cameron Morrison, a Richmond County native, served as Democratic county chairman and as mayor of Rockingham from 1898 to 1900, and in 1920 was elected governor of North Carolina. In 1932 the state elected him to the U.S. Senate, and in 1942, the voters elected him to Congress at the age of 73.
C.B Deane, born in Anson County, served 10 consecutive terms in the U.S. House representing the 8th Congressional District beginning in 1947. After moving to Richmond County, he was elected register of deeds in 1925 and served in this office for eight years.
R.W. Goodman was first elected sheriff of Richmond County in 1950 at the age of 34 and went on to serve continuously for 44 years until 1994, making him the longest-serving sheriff in North Carolina history.
The Morrison-Deane-Goodman dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct., 20 at Cole Auditorium in Hamlet. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased by contacting Joyner by email at jjoyner7@carolina.rr.com or by phone at 910-690-1301.
Reach reporter Matt Harrelson at 910-817-2674 and follow him on Twitter @mattyharrelson.