Wingard to cast historic ballot

Date: 12/9/2008

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



AGAWAM On Dec. 15, Agawam Democratic Town Committee Chair Corinne Wingard will cast her vote for Barack Obama as the next president of the United States as one of the state's 12-member Electoral College.

"Each of these electors will play a special role in the election of Barack Obama as our next president," Party Chair John Walsh said. "All the priorities for the state that Gov. Deval Patrick has laid out making education a priority, fixing our roads and bridges, and creating the jobs of the future will be easier to achieve under a Barack Obama administration."

In an interview with Reminder Publications, Wingard said, "This is a phenomenal honor . The thrill of actually electing Barack Obama as president is just wonderful . This is probably the greatest honor I will ever achieve."

She said she chose to apply to become a member of this Electoral College because of the historic nature of preserving democratic ideals within the election process.

Wingard confessed that she was disinterested in politics and was an unregistered voter prior to Patrick's run for governor. She recalled that after hearing him speak in August 2005, she became empowered by his speech and chose to participate in his campaign.

Wingard explained that she became a member of the Democratic Party because it is "a party that is most concerned for everyday people and the well-being of all people."

She said that Patrick, much like Obama, is "an extraordinary man who can do things for ordinary people."

Wingard attributed her appointment to the state's Electoral College to her experiences serving on the Agawam Democratic Town Committee, the Democratic State Committee, the Campaign Services Committee and as the Western Massachusetts coordinator for the Obama for America and the Deval Patrick Committees.