On The Record: James (Jim) Wark

For this episode of On The Record, we speak with James Wark, the Angelina County Democratic Chair.

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

I was in the army from '65-'69 and was deployed to Vietnam. I realized there how large a role politics plays in decisions of combat.

When I came back I worked at a paper mill in Lufkin, and I joined the union. In 1980 I was elected as an officer to the union. Prior to becoming an officer, however, I figured out which party was for the working class and families, and that was the Democrats.

What was your personal progression from the role of activist to the role of county chair?

I have represented many groups in the past and currently, and I have volunteered for numerous campaigns locally, statewide, and nationally. I also have attended AFL-CIO conventions for the last 25 years or so, and I have been an alternate delegate at state party conventions.

The previous county chair resigned in the spring of 2005, and I was elected by the executive committee to fill the post and then ran unopposed for the following term.

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

The biggest issue in the area is that the local paper mill was abandoned by a big company, and there is a big gap in employment because of it. There was no manufacturing plant replacing it to fill the gap. The manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to Mexico and then China, and now to Nigeria due to cheaper wages in sweatshops.

Service jobs have replaced the manufacturing jobs, in companies like Wal-Mart, Sam’s, and small retail stores. The smaller stores don’t pay the middle class what they need to support their families and feed their children. There are some prisons here and Lufkin State School, which provide minimum wage jobs. In most households, both parents work but still can’t afford insurance for kids or plan for their future.

The retail stores here have advertised 401(k)s and benefits, but the reality is that when people are being paid minimum wage, they need every penny to provide food and clothing for their families.

Do you have any ambition for higher office? Do you have plans to run for any other party office, or possibly even public office?

No, not really. I prefer to stay as county chair.

What are you looking forward to in the coming cycle?

I’m looking forward to Democrats prevailing in the coming cycle. People are waking up to the fact that they are hearing different things than what they are receiving. Officials come and say one thing to voters so they can get elected, and then go back and vote differently then they led the voters to believe they would. With sources like the Internet, the actions of representatives have become more visible to voters.

What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in politics?

I have learned several lessons. After the last primary, people need to realize that their vote does count. A race in another county was won by only one vote.
Also, voters need to educate themselves and check the voting records and background of their officials.

And be careful when volunteers come to help in elections. You need to check out your volunteer's motives. People have tried to infiltrate our party. They come in to volunteer, but they weren’t helping us; they were helping the Republicans.