Meet Toni Medellin, the Diversity Chair for the Democratic Party in Denton County.  According to Medellin her main responsibility is to appeal to people who are not well represented within the party.  “The Democratic Party is a very diverse group, but, if you look at the leadership, it may not look so diverse.  My job is to find voters and candidates, especially people of color; women, minorities, under-represented groups and invite them to become more active,” she said, “We know they (the under-represented groups) are our constituencies, but they’re not necessarily in leadership positions.” Medellin is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and Rutgers University School of Law, in Camden, New Jersey. She is married to Ben Briseño and they have a 23 year-old son, Benny.  The family moved around the country while her husband was in the oil business.  Her law career began in Oklahoma where she worked at a non-profit organization that advocated for people with disabilities and then eventually for a large law firm in Houston, before moving to South Denton County.

     Up until the last presidential election, Denton County voters were primarily Republican, but Medellin believes that is changing.  “The 2008 Democratic primary saw almost 55,000 voters, which is huge,” she said, “as voter turnout is usually low for primaries.” According to Medellin, for the first time, Texas mattered for Democrats because the Presidential nomination was up for grabs. Medellin said that as the Diversity Chair she encourages Denton County Democrats to get involved in the community, especially in this area where Democrats have traditionally been the minority.  “We have become members of the Chambers of Commerce, attend all kinds of community events and are active with charity organizations,” she added. An important factor, she said, is to make sure Hispanic representatives are at these events who can speak with the locals, as well as the Spanish speaking press. She said the concerns of Hispanics are the same as everyone else’s; they are worried about the economy, jobs, access to healthcare, the rise of college tuition and the fall of financial aid.  “One half of all new voters are Hispanic, they trend two to one Democratic voters.  As the Hispanic population grows the Democratic victories will grow,” Medellin explained. 

     She expects that Texas will soon be a minority majority state where Hispanics and African Americans will make up over 50% of the population, and both these groups overwhelmingly vote Democratic. Medellin believes the Republican Party will have to do a better job at courting these groups. Currently, Medellin continues to practice law while juggling her political outreach activities.  In addition to her role as the Diversity Chair, she is the Chair for the Lantana/Copper Canyon Precinct, serves as the Vice President of the Democratic Women of Denton County and volunteers with the local Stonewall Democrats (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender organization). Medellin said the 2008 president election was an enormous victory for the Democrats and they are hoping to build on that in the future. Her message to Democrats in Denton County is “you’re not alone; there is a very vibrant and active community of Democrats scattered throughout the county.”   She urges people to get involved, get to know all the candidates and their platform and most importantly, vote. “If you want to be active and don’t know how, get in touch with me,” she said. “We will plug you in and make sure you find a home with the Democratic Party of Denton County.”  She can be reached by email at dentondemocratsdiversity@gmail.com  or through the Denton County Democratic Party headquarters at 940-566-1165.