Granville Democrat visits national convention

Sheila Comar is no newcomer to politics.

The Granville resident is the chair of the Washington County Democratic Committee and the executive committee chair of the New York State Democratic Committee.

But she’d never seen anything like the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., before.

“It was eye-opening. It was such a worldly place,” said Comar, who was a successful applicant to be a delegate. “It was very educational for me, being from a rural part of New York. I felt I was part of a bigger picture.

“There were people from all over the country. You were rubbing elbows with people you would not see every day. There were Texans in cowboy hats with their accents and people from the South, with their accents,” she added, “We were all over the playing field. There were conservative Democrats and liberal Democrats.”

Comas said that because the New York delegation was so large, “we took over three hotels 10 miles away from Charlotte. Logistically, it was a little trying.”

She said the group had breakfast together with a speaker during the three-day convention, then boarded buses for Charlotte, where she spent the day in various caucuses, then attend the main session from 5 to 10 p.m. each night.

Coming from a highly Republican area, Comar said she enjoyed being immersed in discussions with other Democrats.

“I know this area is very conservative,” she said. “This was wonderful for me.”

Comar said the most impressive person she met at the convention was Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a member of Congress from Florida who is the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

“We had a chance to talk for a while,” Comar said. “It was a great experience.”

Comar was in the audience for all the speeches everyone else in the county could only watch on television.

Bill Clinton took her breath away.

“He is such an orator. When he spoke, people realized President Obama had quite a mentor,” she said. “He sees the big picture. He’s been there before.”

Comar will get another chance to see some of the people she met in Charlotte at the end of the year. She received word this week that she will be an elector when the Electoral College meets to finalize the presidential election.

“I almost fell down when I found out,” she said. “It’s going to be fabulous.”