Democratic officeholders and candidates from Washington County and beyond gathered for a semi-annual dinner Friday to discuss the issues, offer each other support and share some laughs as election season reaches its peak.

The evening represented the best part of the democratic process, said featured speaker David Pepper, of Cincinnati, who is running for Ohio auditor in 2010.

"I loved hearing tonight about all these campaigns - this is what it's all about," said Pepper, who has served on Cincinnati City Council and is president of the Hamilton County Commission. "I've had to make my case before and discuss the issues just like this. In a 30-person at-large council race, you have to make your case and we're all healthier for doing that."

Pepper said he wants to make the job of state auditor more relevant to the state's residents.

"It's been the unfortunate trend in the last several cycles that most people don't even know who the auditor is or what the auditor does," he said. "And the auditor is the one job that is involved in every level of government. I want to partner with government and, of course, find waste and help with efficiency, but also be proactive about helping the different parts perform better."

The various parts of the government must learn to do more with less, share services and perform more efficiently in order to be competitive, Pepper said.

"All our communities are facing a challenge right now," he said. "If we don't have the government working well, we're not going to make it."

If elected as auditor, Pepper would also be part of the once-in-a-decade process of drawing voting districts, something he said he wants to see done more fairly.

"When people have beliefs and views, it should really be reflected in our elections and not stifled," he said. "We need to recreate that sense of democracy in our Ohio legislature."

The 100 people at the American Legion Post 64 for the dinner also heard about state issues on the Nov. 3 ballot and local school tax issues and listened to speeches from several of the Democratic candidates for Marietta and Belpre city councils.

The Marietta council candidates stressed the importance of having Democrats on council.

"I really haven't seen a lot of partisanship on councils I've been on," said Mike McCauley, a candidate for the 2nd Ward seat who has previously served as on council as both an at-large and 2nd Ward member. "But I see a lot of it now."

Louise Gwinn, candidate for the 1st Ward, asked the crowd to help get a Democratic majority back on City Council.

As is tradition at the dinner, council member and Fourth Ward candidate Tom Vukovic wrote and recited a poem about "the party of the people."

"You've heard it before and I must say it again," he read, to a cheering crowd. "We're down to the wire, and we need some good men and women."

The Democrats also got a brief update from U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-Ohio, who said he has been busy working on health care reform, and especially funding a public option.

"Trying to create health care reform has been a very awkward time and a very hard time.... I'm hoping some other Republicans will join us," he said. "We're trying to knock down the price of health care and improve the health care you do have and make sure everyone can have it. I believe we can do it."