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The real community organizers

(Arlington County Democratic Committee)One of my least favorite parts of being ACDC chair is the solemn responsibility I bear to let our community know about the passing of some of our older and most valued members. In that respect, July has been a more difficult month than most.

In July, Arlington witnessed the loss of one of its true civic heroes, John Robinson. John was a community leader in the purest sense — the de facto “mayor” of the Nauck community, a welcome ear for those in need, and a stalwart and valued volunteer and leader in countless Democratic and community causes.

Most notably, John Robinson was the leader of Arlington’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, a place of community and hope for all who had the good fortune to walk through its doors. John was also a Democrat, and as part of his work, he helped countless members of the Nauck community become involved in the political process.

Within days of John Robinson’s death, the ACDC community was rocked with news of the passing of Tom Sawner, another stalwart ACDC volunteer and activist. Tom was a businessman – the president of an award-winning company named Educational Options, Inc., that provided web-based educational tools to those in need of a high school education. Tom’s company not only helped those in need; it also thrived as a business, being named the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s small business of the year in 2006.

But business success was only part of Tom’s achievements; with his contacts, Tom was able to bring countless new members of the business and educational communities into Democratic politics – a legacy that will survive long after him.

The lives of John Robinson and Tom Sawner are not only worth remembering for the wonderful people they were; they are also worth remembering for the examples they set.

These men were good Democrats for sure, but that was not the label that made them effective political leaders. More important than party affiliation, these men were engaged wholesale in their communities. They knew the people they worked and lived with, and earned their respect through years of work and years of effort. It was this respect that caused volunteers to give them credence when they called about political causes and asked for help.

There is a lesson here for all of us that political work is most successful when it does not come at the end of a cold call. Rather, it is most successful when it is built on a foundation of trust, familiarity, and long-term engagement.

As we progress into an increasingly impersonal and digital age, we Arlington Democrats must remember that personal contact and community engagement is still the best formula for political success. It is this legacy that heroes like John Robinson and Tom Sawner have left for us, and we owe it to their memory to take it to heart.