Incoming state Democratic chair vows to be more aggressive

Retired AIDS activist Terje Anderson is poised to take over as chair of the state Democratic Party this weekend, promising a “more visible and aggressive” challenge to Republican views while clearly laying out the Democratic position.

Anderson will take over from Faisal Gill, the first Muslim elected as a major-party state chair in the country, who is stepping down to possibly run for office again.

Gill said he seeks a more activist political role that wasn’t possible while serving as party chair. He ran unsuccessfully for the Vermont Senate from Chittenden County in 2016. He was selected as interim party chair in March to replace Dottie Deans.

Anderson, 59, has been a high-profile activist in Vermont and nationally. He was the former executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS and served on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. He lives in Montgomery.

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2017/11/15/incoming-state-democratic-chair-vows-to-be-more-aggressive/#.WhP7eXlryuA