Volunteer Spotlight: Bill Lubing

How long have you been volunteering with CoCo Dems?

I photographed my first event around 10 years ago. I’ve been more steadily, actively involved for the past couple of years.

What inspired you to start volunteering with us?

We’re all crew members on this ship we call the United States of America. Volunteering for the CoCo Dems is part of my duty as a U.S. citizen to keep that ship on course, assuring the persistence of our Constitution, helping on a local level to keep our rights as citizens preserved and protected. As I’ve been in communications my entire adult life, working with the CoCo Dems is a natural fit for me.

There is an immense level of satisfaction seeing the people we help elect get into office. We learn about them when they speak at our meetings. We work to gather signatures for them, canvass to inform voters, put up signs throughout the county, write post cards, letters to the editor, get on the phone, and maintain a strong social media presence. All of this to directly and indirectly get them elected. The CoCo Dems drive the elections of those we feel will best serve the citizens of Columbia County. To me that’s the core of it. That’s the inspiration.

Volunteering is also a great way to meet some wonderful people, learn about the functioning of government, and enjoy some of the best baked goods and potlucks in Columbia County. When they say Dems can cook they aren’t kidding!

What is your role with CoCo Dems? In what ways are you involved?

I’m on the Communications and Events committees. I’m editor of the newsletter/blog, the CoCo Dems Update, and generally document what I can through words, images, and video—my own and those of others. On the events committee we plan and present the events of the organization. It’s great fun.

Why would you suggest other people consider volunteering with CoCo Dems? 

This ship we’re all crewing is navigating a severe test of the tenets this country was founded upon. Those tenets are the rare opportunities our Constitution affords us citizens. The CoCo Dems need volunteers to help with its core mission of getting out the vote, fielding and helping elect candidates, informing the public of issues that determine the quality of life in Columbia County and beyond.

No matter if you choose to spend a couple of hours or a chunk of your life, volunteering drives the work of the CoCo Dems. Nobody gets paid here. Yet we know it is our work that helps keep us safe and free.

Did I mention the picnic in September? Volunteering is worth it just for that!

What is your connection to Columbia County? (E.g., Were you born here or do you have family here? How long have you lived here? What do you like about living here?)

I grew up in Madison, spent a good part of my life in Texas and ended up discovering Columbia County around 1992. I moved here around 1998. RDell and I love the people, the natural areas, the towns, and our big, glorious river.

What is a fun fact about you that most people don’t know? 

I’ve been a technology geek since before most living people picked up a crayon. I remember when “insert” and “delete” keys were a revelation. I remember decades before the digital camera was conceived, the time when black and white TV was the norm. I remember when White Out, a reem of cheap paper, and a spare ribbon were in the toolkit of anyone writing for a living.

Now I ask my phone to sing to me and tell me how to fix my car. Amazing!

Feel free to check out a few of my (mostly non-CoCo Dem) photos here.