Idon't mean to tell Democratic Party of York County President Mike Johnson how to do his job, but maybe he'll be open to a few suggestions from one of the more recent additions to his party.

That would be me.

I'm a lifelong Republican who changed his voter registration to Democrat in February, so that I'd have an opportunity to vote for Barack Obama.

I've been a Democrat for all of two months.

Already, I have a couple of issues.

It wouldn't have hurt, for example, for Johnson (or someone in the local Democratic hierarchy) to have sent a "thank-you-for-joining-us-and-welcome" card to new additions to the Democratic Party.

In fact, lots of York countians might think it's the least the Dems could have done. Good manners, and all that.

Keep in mind that about 9,800 of us -- a bunch of new additions and quite a few (about 1,800) transfers from the Republican Party -- registered as local Democrats since the November 2007 election. Hey, that's not an insignificant number. It amounts to about a 10 percent increase in the Democratic Party registrations.

This in a county where there hasn't been enough interest in the Democratic Party to field a full roster of candidates for many recent elections. Except in York City, of course, where the voter registration favors Dems.

This in a county where the Dems have trailed the Republicans in registration numbers for more than 20 years.

This in a county where loyal Democrats dream on a nightly basis about the possibility

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of one day taking over as majority party.

Considering all that, would it have been too much trouble or expense for a Democratic honcho to have reached out to new registrations with a "thank you" and a "welcome" and a juicy wet kiss in an effort to make 9,800 newbies feel wanted and appreciated? An attempt at communication. Is that asking too much?

I think not.

Well, I'm still waiting. And so are 9,799 other new Dems, I'll betcha.

But while I've been waiting, the Republicans have continued to reach out. They've kept me informed with a steady stream of campaign and party literature leading right up to the primary election and beyond.

Republicans could have blown me off in a fit of pique for switching my registration, but they didn't. They treated me as though I were still a member of the Republican family.

The Republican Party made it pretty clear they still value my membership. They kept in touch when they didn't have to bother. And it cost them time and money to do so.

Then I read in the newspaper that the local Dems are not only hoping the 9,800 newbies will stay on with the party, but that they can add more names to the voter rolls in the next six months. They're looking for sustained local growth.

It's a simple plan, Johnson said. As people interact with other people, they'll become more vested in the party and want to stay active, he said.
The goal, Johnson said, is not only to have more voters, but more candidates running for public office.

It's not a bad plan except for one thing -- interaction requires communication.

From what I've seen as a new member of the Democratic Party, communication has not been one of its strengths.

Columns by Larry A. Hicks, Dispatch columnist, run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. E-mail: lhicks@yorkdispatch.com.