More and more Democrats are registering to vote in Denton County, according to  county Democratic Party Chairperson Phyllis Wolper, who has served in that office since late May when local attorney Neil Durrance resigned the post to run for Congress in the 26th District. Wolper, a realtor, will be up for re-election in the March primary. She says local Democrats have several goals including the continuation of registering and educating voters and also fielding a slate of candidates for the 2010 election and beyond.  Currently, Wolper said there are some 54,000 registered Democrats in Denton County, and candidates who have publicly declared their stance include Durrance and a Justice of the Peace candidate, Paul Gomez.     

     One aspect of Wolper's job as county Democratic Party chair is to run the primary election, but there are many other aspects as well, including helping potential candidates. "I would love to sit down and talk with anyone interested in running for county and local offices," said Wolper, 56.  She said the party has a training program called Project Farm Team for people who want to run for office. "It's a grooming process for candidates and those who want to learn to successfully run campaigns," Wolper stated. "We have several people serious about running for offices in the future who are part of Project Farm Team," she added. In preparation for the upcoming March primary, Wolper spent time last weekend in Austin at the Secretary of State's training for party chairs. "It was fascinating! It's a huge job running a primary election," she said, “but I have a strong corps of experienced volunteers and paid staff to assist me.”  Also, as party chair, Wolper is the chief fundraiser and bill payer for Denton County Democrats.

     A typical day for her starts out at her real estate office at Century 21 Judge Fite Company where she spends the morning hours, and then after lunch, Wolper said she usually heads for the party headquarters on Elm Street, just north of downtown Denton. Four or five evenings a week are spent in meetings or at public events, but Wolper said she believes the busy schedule is worth the time and effort spent. "Our platform as Democrats is to create opportunities for all Americans. Areas we are concentrating on are healthcare reform, education, creation of living wage jobs, the environment and transportation; all quality of life issues that face us right here in North Texas," Wolper said.  The need for health care reform affects many things, according to Wolper, including bankruptcies and foreclosures. The realtor said she believes the healthcare crisis contributes heavily to the "extremely high rate of foreclosures" in Denton County; a reason not often brought up, that losing one’s home is often the direct result of a health problem in a family. "I can only think of one example of a foreclosure among my own clients that wasn't health related," Wolper said, pointing out a typical cycle would include a family member going through a health crisis, their job being affected, losing the job, losing the insurance, and then losing their home. "It is absolutely critical that we solve the healthcare issue before we can have full economic recovery."    

     A GREEN Certified Realtor, Wolper moved to Denton in 2001 and has served as director on a number of local boards, such as the Greater Denton Wise County Association of Realtors and its Governmental Affairs & TREPAC committees, and Day Stay for Adults, Inc., which is a non-profit that provides respite to caregivers of adults who cannot care for themselves. She has been married to her husband Roddy for 30 years and they have one adult son.