Thessaloniki Chapter Inauguration, May 30, 2010

Democrats Abroad Greece held an historic meeting today at the American College of Thessaloniki Campus (ACT) inaugurating Thessaloniki as Greece’s 2nd chapter after Athens. The Thessaloniki area boasts some 10-11,000 American citizens, according to consular statistics, making it a city of utmost importance in carrying out the work of the Country Chapter.

DA-GR Chair Yvette Jarvis welcomed everyone to the meeting, gave a brief overview of Democrats Abroad’s work over the past year and half, and described the goals of the newly elected Executive Committee. Jarvis emphasized the importance of decentralization and the role of party chapters, and unveiled an ambitious plan to inaugurate other chapters as part of the Country Committee’s goals for 2010.

The highlight of today's meeting was the presence of the honorable Michael Dukakis former Governor of Massachusetts and Democratic Presidential Candidate (1988) and Mrs. Kitty Dukakis. Governor Dukakis was present to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Dukakis Chair in Public Policy at ACT. He graciously accepted the invitation from the Executive Committee of DA Greece to address the new membership and witness the inauguration of the Thessaloniki Chapter.

The Governor was in great spirits, warm, down to earth and friendly with everyone present in the room, shaking hands, posing for photos and making a special effort to sign a thank you letter to each member for their participation in the inaugural meeting.

Governor Dukakis was a captivating speaker. He emphasized the success of President Obama's Grassroots Organization and Strategy during the 2008 campaign. He praised the President for his accomplishments during the past 15 months, hailing the Obama presidency as "one of the most productive governments by far perhaps even more so that of the New Deal.” The passage of the Health Care Reform Bill was a major accomplishment. Even if it was not the perfect bill we all wanted, it was long overdue. The Governor noted that the bill would have passed with the public option intact had it not been for the filibuster, and reminded the audience that the filibuster is not a part of the constitution!

The Governor used humor and a brief history lesson in deftly answering a question about President Obama’s being repeatedly labeled by the right as a socialist. He recalled Teddy Roosevelt's daring plan that created what we now know as Social Security. "Ask a Tea Partier if they benefit from Social Security and Medicaid -- well that's the Federal Government! Ask them, ‘are you willing to give it up?’"

He lauded DA-GR's efforts in setting up the new chapter and emphasized the critical role Democrats Abroad can and should play in November by connecting with folks back home, again emphasizing “nothing beats door to door canvassing!!”

Other topics discussed were Global Warming, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the student loan program. The Governor expressed his one and only "complaint," his pet peeve regarding transportation and railways, which he thought the President and VP have not stressed enough.

Mrs. Dukakis then delivered a short but moving speech on the importance of the election of Barack Obama and how he has influenced the world view of America. Kitty warmly recalled her 10 year old grandson’s wish to hear Obama speak. After hearing the candidate, he reported back to his father (a Republican supporter) in an effort to convince him of why he had to vote for Obama. He did this every day for weeks. His dad voted for Obama!!

Mr. Kevin Berkowitz, a resident of Thessaloniki for the past 5 years, was elected to the position of Interim Chair. He edged out Ms. Lambrini Nassis, a practicing lawyer, who vowed to help the chapter officers in any way she could.

Mrs. Denise Wasserstrom a lawyer and entrepreneur, was elected to the position of Chapter Representative to the Executive Committee.