The DA France Marseille Election Board is pleased to announce the candidates for DAFR Marseille Chapter leadership!
Members of the DA France Marseille Chapter area will receive a ballot by email. Electronic voting will end on March 15 at Midnight.
For questions, please contact the Marseille Election Board at [email protected].
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These are the positions that are up for election: Chair, Secretary, Vice Chair and Members at Large.
Candidate Statements
Candidate(s) for Chair
Aaron Ambeau
Coming from a politically active family of Louisiana Democrats (my grandfather and aunt were elected tax assessors for a combination of 38 years, and my uncle was a district judge for 12 years), I grew up campaigning, attending political events, and waiting on election night for the phone calls that would inform us of the votes in the parish precincts. I still vote in Louisiana, even as my own state is solidly red and I see no future in which that reality changes.
I am asking for your support of my candidacy for Chairperson of our Aix-Marseille chapter. I served as the Treasurer, Vice-Chair, and Chair for the Aix-Marseille Chapter of Democrats Abroad France in 2021-2023, stepping down from the Chair position in the fall of 2023 to focus on my health and other obligations. Although I am still dealing with health issues, including a major surgery coming some time in the next four months, I am certain I will be able (with the help of the rest of the Executive Board) to fulfill the duties of this position with the same energy and focus I had in the past. Now is not the time to step back from active participation in our Party, both because our non-resident voting rights are in jeopardy and because so many other aspects of our democracy are being challenged by the fascist oligarchy that currently runs the executive branch of our government.
As my previous time as Chapter Chair showed, I bring the kind of passion, organizational skills, and commitment to our party and voters that are necessary for effective leadership and community building. After living with my husband in Louisiana for 18 years, we moved to Marseille in 2019. Over the past almost six years, I have been teaching English, singing professionally, and, as of fall 2023, directing my own USAmerican-style choral ensemble, the FAVA (French-American Vocal Arts) Chorale.
There is much we need to do as we journey toward the 2024 elections, continuing the efforts of our current Executive Board to build our communities in Marseille, Aix, and the surrounding areas, while focusing on getting Democrats involved, registered, and voting. I hope to have your support; and I look forward to meeting and working with (as we say in Louisiana) “all of y’all.”
Candidate(s) for Vice Chair
Justin Kim
My name is Justin Kim, a proud born and raised Kansan currently living in Marseille. The beginning of my career has been dedicated to electing Democratic women in both red and blue states. If elected Vice Chair of our chapter, I hope to use my connections and experience to create opportunities for our members to directly support Democratic efforts back home, and to build a more connected community of support right here in the south of France. I would be honored to serve as your Vice Chair and look forward to working with all of you to continue to grow and energize our chapter.
Candidate(s) for Secretary
Susan Fitoussi running for Chapter Secretary
What I bring to the table –
Organizational skills, punctuality, bilingual and enthusiasm
I am trained on Nationbuilder and Social Media so all is in place.
About me!
Born in Los Angeles California 1962 I left the USA when I was 24 and have lived abroad since.
I have been living in Marseille for 30 years.
I work in a huge multi-mega international company.
The best part is working in a multicultural environment.
I am a Mom and a Grandma (the best!)
Why I am a Democrat –
I believe in the Constitution, Freedom and Justice for all, Universal Health Care, Gun Control, Equal Rights and Environmental Consciousness to name a few
The Democratic Party represents the values I believe in.
Why I’m running for this position –
I have been a member of our chapter since it was created.
Meeting local Americans and helping them register to vote is certainly one of the most important roles I can play as an American living abroad today!
We have a great team and I hope to continue working together to organize wonderful events that will bring our community together and most importantly ‘Get out the Vote”!
Candidates for Members-at-Large (listed in alphabetical order)
Philip Breeden
I have been a member at large in the Marseille Chapter for several years, and also serve as a member of the France DA media team. I am committed to building DA France/Marseille over the next four years so that we can put a Democratic President in the White House with a democratic Congress to help the President repair the damage we are already beginning to see from the second Trump administration. This is not a time for stepping back, but rather a time for buckling up and moving forward together.
Therese Keelaghan Silvestre
I would like to submit my candidacy for the Aix-Marseille Chapter Leadership Elections for the position of Member at Large.
I am originally from Los Angeles, California and have lived and worked in the Aix-Marseille region since 1990. My husband and I raised our two children here and have grandchildren living outside of Paris.
I am a member of the California State Bar Association since 1982 and a member of the Barreau d’Aix-en-Provence and the Barreau de Marseille since 1997, now retired since 2016. I initiated the twinning of the International Bar Section of the California Bar with the Barreau of Marseille in 2018. I am a certified specialist of Intellectual Property and have worked with many companies in the area. I was a Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France from 2012 to 2018 and I taught at the Faculté de Droit in Aix-en-Provence for 25 years in the Masters of Comparative Law program.
While studying at The American University in Washington, D.C., I worked for Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke at the House of Representatives for one year. I also worked in Geneva in the specialized UN organizations of UNICEF, UNHCR, ILO, and the WHO for three years.
I would like to assist the Democrats Abroad Chapter in Aix-Marseille and the national committee in France in any capacity possible.
Lycette Nelson
I am interested in running for member-at-large for DA-Marseille.. I moved to Aix-en-Provence in June 2023, am married to a French national from Martigues, and have an 18-year-old daughter. I have spent a lot of time in the area and speak French fluently.
I lived in Jersey City, NJ before moving to France and worked as a public interest attorney. My last position was as a Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Analyst for the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Prior to that, I worked in supervisory positions for several non-profit legal services organizations where my focus was on disability/mental health law.
I have always been active in politics, working on political campaigns for local and national candidates, and serving on the board of and later as Executive Director for a small LGBTQ advocacy organization that also had a Political Action Committee.
I am interested in becoming more involved in Democrats Abroad because I think it is more important than ever right now that Americans living abroad have a strong voice in matters that affect them and all Americans. I enjoy community-building and am interested in helping to create a more visible presence for Democrats Abroad in Aix by organizing events, get-togethers, etc. I'm fairly well connected to the expat community in Aix and in contact with other Americans.and, as a semi-retired person, have time to give to the role of member-at-large.
Thank you very much.
Nann Ricard
I am a dual citizen and have lived in France for almost fifty years. Although I have had ties to the "Pays d'Aix" through my husband's family for all of that time, we have only lived in the countryside of Aix permanently for the last three years.
As a member of Democrats Abroad I have been active in phonebanking and in Voter Help assistance. Helping Americans understand and exercise our federally guaranteed right to vote is my primary motivation.
However, as a member at large, I could also help in other areas of interest such as passing legislation to enact residence based taxation. I would also like to help plan more events that allow us to come together more often, enriching our sense of community in these unsettled times.
Preparing for the mid terms will soon be top of mind. I vote in Georgia, a good example of how our votes have been the margin of victory. And they can be again, with help from all of us.