New Dem. Party Chair has full house
By Nathan Mayberg
Goshen — New Orange County Democratic Committee Chairman Brett Broge got his first taste of politics working for Iowa Senator and former presidential candidate Tom Harkin. While Broge ultimately went to law school and became a lawyer, politics found him again when he joined his father-in-law and Goshen law partner Stephen Hunter in his campaign for the Surrogate Court judgeship in 2008.
He ran unsuccessfully last year for the seat of county legislator Kevin Hines (R-C-Cornwall). Last month, he was officially named as the successor to longtime party chairman Jonathan Jacobson.
Now Broge has his hands full after having been elevated to lead a party whose members outnumber Republicans in the county, but still find themselves at a narrow disadvantage politically at the Orange County Legislature, and without Democrats represented in two state offices that represent parts of the county.
"It's an exciting time. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the enrollment advantage," Broge (pronounced Brogee) said.
Broge, 39, said he is looking to "build a majority in the (county) legislature and finding a viable alternative to Steve Neuhaus."
Broge cited turnout as the deciding factor in the Republican capture of the legislature and county executive's office last year. Republicans turned out in about 10 percentage points higher than Democrats last November, he said. "It's a national issue" in off-peak elections, he said.
The new party chairman considers the future of the Valley View Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation central to his efforts.
"From our perspective, this is a lot of 'I told you so'," Broge said. He said Democratic candidates for the county legislature campaigned last year on keeping Valley View open and keeping the budget down while warning that Republicans would cede country control of the facility.
"What we want from our Democratic caucus is to hold strong against efforts to close Valley View," Broge said. Broge said that attempts to balance the county's budget, which runs more than $700 million, couldn't be solved by selling Valley View. He said the facility is on track to cost the county between $4 million to $7 million to run this year.
He would like to boost the efforts of local Democrats by utilizing social media such as Facebook and Twitter and through email.
He is looking to re-establish Democratic committees in Chester, Minisink and Montgomery which have been allowed to desintegrate over the years. He said Democrats have been identified to form a new Democratic committee in Chester, where a competitive race between Democrat Len Silver and incumbent Republican Supervisor Alex Jamieson is taking place.
Broge met his wife Elizabeth Hunter while they both worked for Harkin. Broge worked for Harkin between 1997 through 1999 after graduating from Grinnell College with a political science degree. He served in Harkin's office as an assistant to the legislative director at the time of the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton and while the Senate was controlled by Republicans.
The son of a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff, Broge said he was drawn to politics by the ascendance of Clinton and his "progressive ideals" and policies on health care and opening up the military. He said he was also inclined to support Democrats after being turned off by the conservative politics of presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan.
After working for Harkin, Broge went to the University of San Diego Law School while Elizabeth graduated from Berkeley Law School. After beginning their legal careers, the two moved to Orange County in 2007, where Hunter's family resides. Hunter's great-uncle was B. Sears Hunter, the late former chairman of the Orange County Democratic Party.
Brett and Elizabeth live in Blooming Grove with their three children.
Broge credited Jacobson with asking him to join the party committee.
Reporter Nathan Mayberg can be reached at comm.reporter@strausnews.com or by calling 845-469-9000 ext. 359.