Back in mid-2021, a group of passionate Democrats started gathering in a local living room to discuss the upcoming General Election. They met to discuss their shared concerns about the national political climate, and plan on ways to be involved in local, county, state and national political activities. Interest quickly grew and soon the living room was too small for the crowd, so in November of 2021, the group met for the first time at the Lakehurst Community Center. Regular monthly meetings have occurred ever since, although we no longer meet at the Community Center.
Over the past two years, the Club has hosted numerous guests, conducted forums for candidates running for office, and celebrated events such as Juneteenth and National Women’s History Month, by inviting the public to attend unique programs hosted by our members and guests. The Club has participated two years in a row at Manchester Day (at Harry Wright Lake) and the Toms River Pride Day Festival (in downtown Toms River).
On May 24, 2022, members adopted the Club’s first set of By-Laws and elected its first slate of Executive Board members.
We continued to grow and expand our mission and vision, which is stated in our Strategic Plan. To reflect our continued growth, on March 16, 2024, Members In Good Standing adopted a revision of those early By-Laws. The updated By-Laws create new positions on the Executive Board, expanding it from 7 to 9 members.
As of August 28, 2024, the Executive Board is comprised of:
President – Christina Edwards
Vice President – Kathy Frisch
Treasurer – Bob Lanik
Secretary – Phyllis Scharago
Director of Membership – vacant
Director of Programming – Brenda Christian
Director of Political Affairs – Gloria Adkinson
Director of Fundraising – vacant
Member At-Large – Sandy Lewis
Additionally, numerous committees support the work of our very active Club. Those committees include:
Membership ~ Hospitality ~ Programming ~ Fundraising ~ Political Affairs ~ Nominations and Elections ~ and Communications
Meetings are held monthly, usually on the the third Saturday of every month.
For information on our meetings and updates on Club activities, please subscribe to our newsletter, HERE
The Manchester Township Democratic Club is committed to promoting and fostering the Democratic Party’s principles and its spirit of dedication in support of the rights, liberties, and dreams of all American society, with equality, and without exclusion.