The Garrett County Democratic Central Committee is pleased to announce that Betty Pritt, Oakland, MD, is the new Chair of the Garrett County Democratic Central Committee and that Lynne Malone Elmlinger, also of Oakland, has been named as the new Treasurer. The change in officers took place at January 31, 2022, Central Committee Meeting and will remain in effect until new committee members voted in during the Primary Election this June start their terms in November.
Betty was appointed to the Garrett County Democratic Central Committee in January 2021, after having served multiple terms as the President of the Garrett County Democratic Club. She has been an active member of our community since 1965, when she and her husband, who worked in the coal mines, moved to Garrett County. Today, Betty has two children (both graduates of Garrett County Public Schools), five grandchildren, and 17great-grandchildren. She is a retired teacher, a past Mary Kay Independent Sales Director, and volunteers with several local non-profit organizations including the GRMC Loar Auxiliary Gift Shop that recently recognized Betty for 50 years of volunteer service. Betty is a member of the Garrett County Democratic Club and was the Club’s first recipient of the Doris Goldsborough Service Award in 2018. She is a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church where she serves as Lay Leader and Lay Servant.
Lynne is a retired early childhood teacher, having taught for 40 years, mostly with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. She is a graduate of Southern High School, and she continued her education with an undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and a graduate degree from the University of Maryland. Lynne was active in the Maryland State Education Association and the Garrett County Education Association as a member of the Negotiations Team, a delegate to the MSEA Convention for several years, Chair of the Government and Relations Committee, GCEA Vice President, and, for one year, GCEA President. Lynne has also been active in several community organizations including the DSS Committee on People at Risk of Child Abuse, the Garrett County Children’s Council, and the League of Women Voters. Currently, she serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of Our Town Theatre, where she has also acted in plays and directed plays, including several children’s productions, and Lynne is active in the Garrett County Democratic Club and the Garrett County NAACP. Lynne credits her political activism to being raised by a politically active father, who served as a Delegate in the West Virginia State Legislature. She also stays involved to benefit her community, which includes her two adult children and three grandchildren.
At the January meeting, Judy Carbone, who stepped down as Central Committee Chair, was named the new Vice-Chair, replacing Patrick Hunt who will remain a member of the Central Committee. Also remaining a member of the Central Committee is Bob Spear, who stepped down as Treasurer. The change was required by Maryland election law that states those running for office cannot serve as the Chair nor the Treasurer of a local Central Committee.
The Garrett County Democratic Central Committee is constituted as the governing body of the Democratic Party in Garrett County with rights and privileges granted under the Constitution and Laws of Maryland, and the Constitution and Bylaws of the Maryland Democratic Party. The Garrett County Democratic Central Committee promotes the election of Democratic candidates at the state and county level and conducts the business, organizes the activities, and fosters the growth of the Democratic Party in Garrett County. For more information, please visit www.gcdems.com or send an email to gcdemcc@gmail.com.
