Doug Doerrfeld, Rowan County
Chairperson

My wife and I moved to Kentucky in 1980.  The first I heard of KFTC was from newspaper stories during the Broad Form Deed Campaign.  It was in and out of the news, but I had never met a KFTC member until the mid-90s.  Ann Colbert is a member here in Morehead.  She held an anti-violence workshop and had a table set-up for KFTC. Lisa Abbott was working the table and told me a lot about KFTC and I was so impressed with the organization that I joined on the spot.  I was active in the 1960s Anti-War Movement and the Civil Rights Movement. I’m a strong believer in citizen activism, so to have an organization here in Kentucky getting people involved was a wonderful thing.  It was my kind of organization. 

The diversity of KFTC is what makes it so effective at reaching into a number of different communities in Kentucky. It’s where the vitality of the organization comes ,from.  KFTC listens to its members so therefore it has its hand on the pulse of what’s going on in a number of different communities in the state.  That helps to address what communities are facing. KFTC has its ears open and its listening to what the needs are of the people of this state. 

Organizing is important, because it’s the surest method of getting long-term change in your community.  It means that you’re educating and empowering the citizens in you community.  Beyond winning  or losing on certain issues that person has been turned into an active citizen which is important to the health of our democracy on the local level, state level or national level.  Active citizens are the lifeblood of a democracy. 

I’m a shy person by nature and it was very hard for me to come out and write letters to the editor and speak at committee meetings or lobbying in Frankfort at first.  It takes a certain leap of faith.  One of the things I really like about this organization is that they work with new members to learn new skills and then give them opportunities to use those skills. Our leadership development is effective because KFTC gives people actual opportunities, mainly through lobbying in Frankfort, with lots of support to get you face-to-face with your elected representatives to express your opinions to them.  Frankfort is a very easy place to get lost.

I’d say one of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned is that I was shocked with the level of ignorance of our elected officials in Frankfort.  They aren’t really that informed on the issues that we bring before them.  Many times the information that we bring to them – it’s the first time they’re hearing it!

That’s why lobbying is essential.  I think that apart from voting it’s the most important thing a citizen can do.  Our representatives and senators listen to us and they’re extremely concerned when someone from their district shows up.  When I’ve spoken w/ my representatives they’ve always treated me respectively and listened to what I have to say.  Whether or not they agreed with me they always listened.  And it’s more than that they’re willing to listen. They need to listen and I think they know that. 

Lobbying is scary and intimidating at first.  But, it’s an experience that every citizen of Kentucky needs to have, because you don’t really understand how government works until you experience it first hand.  It was completely different than how I thought it would be.  I always thought that government was run by people who were really intelligent and informed about the issues, but it’s really more about power and behind-the-scenes tinkering than that the best ideas carrying the day.  There are still all kinds of things about the legislative process that I don’t understand. It’s a very interesting process.

I just hope that KFTC keeps growing like it has over the past two years.  There has been a sense of enthusiasm and it’s contagious. We’re almost up to 4,000 members!  I hope we can continue that level of enthusiasm.  We’re living in pivotal political times. The political and social landscape is in flux, so it’s a really important time for citizens to step up and get involved. These opportunities don’t come along very often-sometime for decades. It seems like we are entering one of those periods, with the winds of change blowing, where members (and people who aren’t members can join) can take part in shaping what direction social change will go in. 

KFTC is in one of the strongest positions that it’s ever been in terms of active members and  excellent staff. A lot of the policies of the current administration in Washington and in Frankfort have been shown to be bankrupt.  There’s increasing opportunities for advancing the minimum wage campaign, tax justice and the high road economic development campaigns.  And after years of organizing against mtr, KFTC has helped create a wave of publicity nationally and statewide that has drawn considerable attention to the issue.  We have policy recommendations in a number of different campaigns that can positively change the direction that Kentucky is going in. 

Our democracy is far from perfect and the only way that it will ever get better is from the citizens.  It’s never going to happen from the top down.  The only way that social change happens is when communities begin working at their local level.  That’s why I like that KFTC is structured around chapters. People begin by working in their local communities.  People who want to become more active and leaders have the opportunity to work on statewide issues and campaigns.  The organization works on both a local level and a statewide level. 

KFTC is a member run organization and I feel that the Chair’s role is to help realize the vision and ideas of the members and the Steering Committee.  I don’t have a separate vision apart from KFTC’s vision.

I would love to live in a world without violence.  Racism is violence. Poverty is  violence. Poisoning the earth is violence. Of course, war is violence.  There are so many different levels of violence. I think that everything we do w/ KFTC is work that tries to lessen violence in one form or another. I’m still waiting for the Peace Dividend.  Living peacefully is about  relationships.  It’s about cultivating respectful relationships with our families, neighbors, people of different religions, races and cultures, the land and ultimately a caring relationship with all living things.