Burnt Orange Report

Sean Bradley to resign as TYD President

By Byron LaMasters

Here is his letter of resignation:

pls. distribute. November 4, 2003 First, let me say how humbled I am to all of you for allowing me to serve as your president. It has been a fantastic year and one month, and I will never forget you. We have accomplished so much in the last year. We have created new chapters on college and university campuses and at high schools across our state. We have created a new website that is more up to date and in demand. We are hosting the Fall 2003 Young Democrats of America Conference in San Antonio. The first meeting in quite sometime. We have now become a major player in the Young Democrats of America, and have several persons who are national officers from Texas. I can go on and on about our accomplishments, but now it is time for me to move on.

Steven Bollinger will become the president on November 23, 2003 at the State Executive Meeting in San Antonio. He is ready and will do a good job for the party and for the organization. He is full of energy and passion for the party like no one I have ever seen. I have been very fortunate to have him as a partner, and you will be fortunate to have him as your president.

This comes at a very difficult time in my life. So much is happening and it is time that I think about me. I have not thought about me for quite sometime now. First, my family is so important to me. I have two fantastic nephews who are growing so fast, and I want to be apart of that so badly. They are just amazing. Secondly, I need to figure out what direction this party is going, and do I have a voice in the type of direction we are headed in and do I really belong in the party. Finally, does the leadership truly take our youth seriously? Sure there are some who assist in our efforts, but there are far too many who do not.

[...]

Of course, my vacancy will be effective November 23, 2003 at the conclusion of the Executive Meeting, having said that, I will continue working to ensure that this meeting is the best Texas has ever seen.

Thanks,

Sean Bradley

Obviously, I'm a little shocked. I'm disappointed to read that Sean is questioning whether he "really belongs in the party". Regardless, I certainly wish Sean all of the best and thank him for his leadership over the past year. I look forward to working with new president Steve Bollinger. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Texas Young Democrats, I really don't feel at liberty to comment any further. There's internal politics involved of which I'll piece together over the next few weeks (and I don't feel like speculating on such matters on here would be appropriate). Having said that, however, I'd certainly like to put in a plug for UTEP Democrats President, College Caucus Chair and Region 1 (TYD) director Mike Apodaca to run for the now vacant Executive Vice President. He has my vote.