Sydney Bradner-Jacobs is an activist and FDR-New Deal Democrat. She was appointed to represent Council District 5 on the DC DCC in May 2022 and was later elected to that post in November 2022. She has served as Vice Chair since December 2022.

 

A lifelong Democrat and Eastern Shore native, Sydney got influenced to get more involved in politics after Sen. Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign when she saw how many like-minded, ordinary working class people were supporting progressive candidates or themselves running for public office. Since earning her B.A. from Wesley College in May 2017, where she became the first openly trans woman of her alma mater to graduate, Sydney has been an activist, canvassing and setting up events for candidates on the Shore. Running (unsuccessfully) as a female DNC delegate for Bernie Sanders for MD-01 in 2020 prompted Sydney to later run, and win a seat on the DC DCC. During the 2022 gubernatorial election cycle, Sydney spearheaded the DCC’s most ambitious door-to-door canvassing effort of the last decade, personally knocking at least half of the Democratic doors in Dorchester County. In her role as Vice Chair, she currently leads many of the activities designed to widen and deepen the DCC’s reach throughout Dorchester. Sydney cares deeply about tackling rural and systemic inequalities of Dorcehster, trans issues, and making Dorchester County more competitive for Democrats in the future. Additionally, Sydney leads the Pride Caucus Chair for the Young Democrats of Maryland.

Kate Gibson join the Dorchester County Democratic Central Committee as Vice Chair in February 2025 and is excited to deepen her involvement in the local community. A resident of Cambridge, Kate has been a committed Democrat and is particularly passionate about women's rights, economic justice, and environmental protection. She has enjoyed canvassing in past elections and is eager to contribute her time and energy to supporting Democratic candidates and causes.

 

Kate grew up in rural Delaware. She cares deeply about conservation of our beautiful ecology in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. She is also passionate about fighting poverty and improving access to services in rural communities here in Dorchester County.

 

She has a long history of activism in the economic justice space, from serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer helping low income people start microenterprises in Salem, Oregon, to spearheading the Community and Economic Development Law Clinic as a Student Director at Yale Law School. As a corporate attorney, she practiced in white shoe law firms in New York City and now operates a solo practice here on the Eastern Shore. She has done pro bono work for MidShore Legal Access, and has represented a business improvement district in Brooklyn, a West African solar social enterprise, and immigrant survivors of domestic violence. She also served on the New York State Bar Association’s Women’s Legislative Affairs Committee, analyzing proposed legislation and writing recommendations to better tailor laws to serve the women of New York. Here in Cambridge, she serves on the board of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, and volunteers for local organizations such as Blackwater Rising and Farm to Foodbank.

 

She looks forward to working with fellow Democrats to build a stronger, more connected community in Dorchester County.

Sarah Gavian is a life-long democrat and social activist. After volunteering for a few years, she joined the DCC representing Council District 3 starting in 2019; she served as DC DCC Chair for five years and currently serves as Secretary. She is also on the Board of the Eastern Shore Democratic PAC and on the Leadership Team for Shore Progress.

 

Previous to her nearly full-time involvement with the DC DCC, Sarah worked for almost forty years to combat hunger and poverty in Africa. With a BA in Sociology, she joined the Peace Corps in Togo (1983-84), where she lived in a mud hut and trained farmers in cooperative development. Wondering why people worked so hard to earn so little. She returned to the US to pursue her doctoral study on the economic, agricultural and demographic factors underlying rural poverty in Africa. Living alternately in Washington DC and Africa, she managed $20+ million projects for the US government working with large, remote, multinational and highly professional teams.
 

Since moving to Dorchester County, Sarah has been struck by many of the same dynamics underlying rural poverty. Sarah is passionate about addressing America’s three existential crises: the widening economic chasm between our citizens, the protection of our democracy and the prevention of an irreparable and global climate crisis. Towards those ends, she has thrown herself into strengthening the Democratic party in our County. She has been instrumental in expanding DCC membership, creating databases, recruiting candidates, holding candidate forums, organizing get-out-the-vote activities, and building links to other democratic and like-minded organizations.

Dorothy Drahzal is an at-large member and Treasurer of the DC DCC. She has served as an appointed member of the DC DCC from June 2021 to November 2022 and as an elected member since then.
 

Born and bred in New York State, her undergraduate degree was in Philosophy, Education and Mathematics. Her graduate work on “Youth at Risk & Not-for-Profit Management” at Goddard College in Vermont resulted in her founding a Youth Bureau and a group home. Dorothy also founded three Family Resource Centers in Westchester County, NY, three Public School Educational Foundations and a Children’s Arts & Music Center in Westchester. She has worked and consulted for over fifty organizations dealing with hunger,poverty, opera, chamber music, senior services, universities, LGBTQI rights, public and private schools and the arts.
 

Dorothy’s political involvement began early in the 70s, protesting the Vietnam war, fundraising for civil rights groups, and working for women’s reproductive rights. Over the years, she worked on numerous political campaigns beginning with George McGovern in 1972 and continuing to present. She attended the 2016 Democratic National Convention as a supporter of the Bernie Delegation for NY, and as a volunteer driver for the CFO of the Democratic National Committee. Also as a driver for the 2024 convention. She has been Treasurer or Finance Director for numerous national, state, county, town and city Democratic committees and campaigns.
 

Here in Dorchester, her work, besides handling Committee finances, focuses on recruiting and supporting Democrats for elected and appointed offices, commissions and committees. Fighting and working to end the economic and racial divide is what moves her soul. Her philosophy is “Make it happen at the lowest level and groom young people to take over our Party.”

LeRoi Robinson-Grant currently serves as an appointed member representing Council District 4 on the Dorchester County DCC since May 2023.
 

LeRoi grew up in Prince George’s County. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps after the 9/11 terrorist attack where he adopted the Marine Corps motto of Honor, Courage and Commitment. For the past 10 years, LeRoit has been a fitness professional and a community organizer.
 

After a thorough study of the entire US, Robinson-Grant and his wife decided in 2015 to settle their family in Dorchester County.
 

LeRoi ran as the Democratic candidate for Dorchester County Sheriff in 2022 to ensure the Sheriff department developed a stronger community focus and kept Dorchester County safe for everyone. While he was unsuccessful in that particular bid, you are likely to see him elected sometime soon to public office. At the DCC, he has been organizing Democratic events and get-out-the-vote efforts across the County.

Jim Sicks represents Council District 3, serving as an appointed member of the DC DCC from 2018 to 2020 and an elected member since November 2022.

An Illinois native, Jim has come to love the Eastern Shore, especially Cambridge which has been his home since 2012. Jim has a passion for social issues; his engagement in the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s led him into politics. He got a BA in political science from Williams College in 1969 and a JD from the University of Michigan in 1975.
 

Over the last four decades, Jim served at various times as an election judge, a Democratic committee member (and briefly chair) in Philadelphia’s 9th Ward (a progressive bastion), and as a volunteer in numerous political campaigns, including Jesse Colvin (MD-01 2018), Rideout (Cambridge Mayor 2022) and Mizeur (Congress 2022)
 

Jim’s passion for justice and equity issues is unabated. Right now he is most concerned about the fallout from the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Jim is also keen to energize Dorchester’s Democrats to turn out this county’s blue voters.

Mary Dennard-Turner is a lifelong Democrat, and currently represents Council District 4 on the DC DCC.

 

Born and raised in Dorchester County, Mary attended Maces Lane High (class of 1966), as well as Warwick and Chesapeake Colleges. She has had many careers, including serving in the National Guard (1976-1982) and as a corrections officer for the state of Maryland for 18 years, as well as a Commissioner for the East New Market City Council (2011-2019). Mary currently works for Maryland Park Service at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center while simultaneously serving on the Board of Trustees of Chesapeake College and the Dorchester County Committee of Aging. She is also a member of the Hurlock Lions Club and Queen of the Red Hatters. Mary is focusing on ensuring that Dorchester’s citizens have adequate and fair access to a world class education, humane living conditions, and decent jobs. She is particularly keen that politicians turn their talk into action.

Zia Ahsraf is a DC DCC at-large member; his May 2022 appointment was confirmed by voters in November 2022.

Zia was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States with his family in 2014. He graduated from Salisbury University in 2019, where he earned his BA in Political Science and International Relations, with three minors in Philosophy, Conflict Analysis Dispute Resolution, and South-Asian studies respectively. He is currently working to get his J.D. degree from Delaware Law School (expected May 2024). In addition, he interned with multiple state and federal agencies including Maryland Lieutenant Governor Office (summer of 2019) and Maryland Secretary of State Office (summer of 2018 and 2019), and mounted his first run as the Democratic nominee for the Dorchester County Council in November 2022 to represent CD-5. Zia was appointed to Hurlock Town Ethics Commission in February 2023. Zia brings forth diversity, experience, and political connections to the DC DCC. He cares deeply about economic equity and bringing forth prosperity to rural America.

Greg Meekins brings a wealth of experience in educational leadership and community service since he was appointed to represent Council District 2 on the Committee in May 2024.

 

A lifelong Cambridge resident, Greg graduated valedictorian from Mace's Lane High School in 1967 and earned his degree from Morgan State University. He dedicated 27 years to Dorchester County Public Schools, serving as Principal of North Dorchester High School, Supervisor of Student Services, and Administrator of New Directions Learning Academy before retiring in 2014.

 

Beyond education, Greg has been active in community organizations. He is a long-time member and Treasurer of the Dorchester Elks Lodge 223, where he was Exalted Ruler. Greg is also a former President and current Second Vice President of the Dorchester County NAACP. As NAACP president, he helped integrate the Cambridge Rescue Fire Company and played a key role in changing voting rights laws, leading to the election of the first Black county commissioner in Dorchester County. Greg also co-hosted and co-produced the community affairs TV program Insight on WMDT TV in Salisbury for seven years. He currently serves on the Board of Moving Dorchester Forward, focusing on family and community engagement, educational equity, and job training in collaboration with local non-profits.

 

Greg is passionate about improving reading skills for children in pre-K through third grade. He is committed to ensuring strong Democratic candidates who reflect the party's values and increasing voter turnout among Black and Hispanic voters. Greg’s experience and dedication make him a valuable asset to the committee and Dorchester County.