Garnet Lewis, who ran in 2008 for a Michigan state House of Representatives seat in Saginaw, has been elected as the new chairwoman of the Saginaw County Democratic Party. She will serve at least through December in the place of Gregory Dietrich, who stepped down to run for the state House in his district.
Lewis, an open lesbian, has been an advocate for LGBT rights in Michigan and has persevered in her political career despite her loss in the 2008 House race to Republican James Stamas. She is a member of the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees and a former Central Michigan University administrator. She has served on the board of Michigan Equality, was a member of Perceptions and was honored last June at the Saginaw Valley LGBT Pride Awards Banquet, where she received the Political Award. Recently, she was also announced as a 2010 Michigan Political Leadership Program fellow.
Lewis told the Saginaw News that she planned to address party infighting in her new position. "We always come down off this mountain high after a presidential election, and trying to keep up that momentum is really important," Lewis told the paper. "I feel this is where I'm needed right now."
"We need elected officials who have a heart, a brain and courage, and not two of the three," she continued. "We've got to get people elected who are willing to put their neck on the line."
