On The Record: Carolyn Salsberry

For this episode of On The Record, we speak with Carolyn Salsberry, Committeewoman for Senate District 28 and Lamb County Democratic Party Chair.

How did you get started in politics? Did you come to it in your youth or later on?

I became visibly active during my college years. I worked on Charles Stenholm’s first campaign. I was asked to run for the hospital board by several people. Because I was an RN and knew firsthand the problems that faced rural hospitals even then, I accepted the challenge. I was the first woman ever to run, and to be elected to this rural hospital board. I was very active in local politics.

What was your personal progression from the role of activist to the role of County Chair?

I was raised in a rural area; I remember when being a Democrat was the norm, not the exception, and when people voted and knew their vote counted. During recent years I have seen the decline in people’s interest in politics. Even more alarming to me was the loss of confidence in the power of their vote. During the 2000 and 2004 elections, I found very little Democratic activity in our area. When I tried to talk politics to people in the stores or on the sidewalk they would whisper, “I’m a Democrat.” I thought it was wrong for people to feel the need to hide their affiliation.
The current County Chair became ill, and I was appointed and later ran for the position. I wanted so much to let people know that their vote did indeed count and would be counted in Lamb County.

Later, when I was asked to run for SDEC, I thought it was a great chance to speak out for rural America. I have to say that I have seen a great change in the past two years in the interest and attention being paid to rural areas by all levels of our Democratic Party and candidates. I doubt that I had much to do with the change — I simply believe that reality set in and the once forgotten rural areas have once again become important to winning Democratic elections.

What would you say are the primary issues concerning Lamb County?

Money is a concern for all small counties, Lamb County being no exception. We are fighting hard to keep our hospital and clinics open, gas in our school buses, and salaries for our teachers. Since I have lived in Lamb County, I have seen several family owned businesses close or move to other areas because they can’t compete. I have seen family farms and homes auctioned off at the courthouse. Some would call this progress; I call it a shame.

How has politics affected your family?

My husband and I made our living in agriculture. So, of course, anything that affects our production costs and return is of great concerns. The increased cost of fuel has caused a chain reaction of price increases at all levels of marketing. If we pay more for fuel, you pay more for beef.

What would you say has been the single most defining moment in your political life?

There have been so many important moments for me in politics. When I received the confidence of the local voters to represent them as County Chair, it was (and is) a great honor. However, the day I got my first call from a Democrat in Lamb County wanting candidate yard signs and bumper stickers to display their support had to be the most positive indicator that politics was coming alive in Lamb County. People were not whispering any more; candidates were asking to come to Lamb County and surrounding rural counties to speak to our voters. I was thrilled.

When I was asked to run for SDEC and was elected was a very humbling moment for me. I felt that the representatives of 28 counties were putting their trust in me to vote their conscience as well as that of the voters they represented, not just my own political views and idiosyncrasies. I take their trust very seriously. Though I have experienced some health problems since my election, thanks to computers and telephones, I have been able to reach county and precinct chairs and other SDEC members. I am on my way to recovery and am looking forward to helping make the Democratic Party a party to be reckoned with. I would like to continue to be a voice for District 28 and rural Texans on the SDEC.

What advice would you give to young people just getting into politics?

Start early and learn the facts before you jump on a bandwagon. Don’t only listen to the hearsay that’s out there; do your own research. Understand that your opinion matters and your vote counts. My hopes for the youth of our country is not that they be able to afford a bigger TV than I had growing up, but that they will have the insight to not just think of themselves but to think for themselves.