Arcata Eye - Letters to the Editor – Jan. 16, 2007
Humboldt County Democratic Party corruption
I stated in a previous Letter to the Editor that although I felt that the leadership of the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee had violated the party’s by-laws and at the very least had some very serious ethical issues in endorsing Dave Meserve, a Green Party candidate, over Mark Wheetley, a Democrat and that I would remain a Democrat. Well, being true to my word this past Wednesday, Jan. 10, I went with my check in hand along with my completed application to become an Associate Member of the party and attend the monthly meeting.
Upon entering the room where the meeting was to take place I submitted my check and application to Mr. Riggs, who then told me that it would be taken to the Executive Committee. Does this mean that not all Democrats are welcome to become Associate Members of the Central Committee? Is there a screening process? Time will tell.
Shortly after that, at 7:10 in the evening the meeting began, and considering that it was after the election and that there would be no elections till 2008, it was well attended. The agenda moved quickly and was for the most part routine.
However, there are some very interesting changes coming up as to how our Central Committee is going to operate our party on our behalf as Democrats. As a result, two questions come to mind upon reflecting on the meeting. Is it going to advance mainstream Democratic principles or continue to move farther to the extreme and continue to merge with Local Solutions and the Green Party? Or is it going to look to achieve a balance that welcomes and is inclusive of all Democrats?
The first item that gives rise to these questions was the discussion and motion to approve on the budget for 2007. This year the budget will be devoted to building the party’s infrastructure, offer training for those wishing to run for political office in 2008, and staff development. These are great places to put the party’s funds and could certainly aid in providing better and stronger candidates in the future. However, it could also be used to weed out those potential candidates that do not toe the line of the party as defined by the present leadership of the Central Committee as was evident in this past election when the leadership attempted to keep the party from endorsing Mark Wheetley for Arcata City Council.
The next item that should give some concern to us rank-and-file Democrats was the “draft” of the Questionnaire for Individuals Seeking to Run for Elected Office. On the surface, like the new direction for using the budget this appears to be a great tool to help a potential candidate reflect and sell assess his/her real desires to run for an elected office, and how much work that entails. It would be an excellent way for a non-judgmental “mentor” to assist a future candidate prepare for what lays ahead in running for office.
However, When the chair of the Campaign Services Committee, Connie Stewart, went through and explained this tool, it became clear that although it may be a tool for potential candidates to use to assess their own readiness to run for elected office, it began to sound a lot more like a screening device. Therefore it became apparent, especially when one looks over the questionnaire and listens to the explanation of its use, that it will be used to screen out Democrats that are not walking the Party line as defined by the present leadership.
If you took each of these items on their own merits and we had a more open leadership that better reflected all aspects of the party or at the very least governed that way, these two items would be a real move forward in the party becoming proactive in assisting future candidates and helping members of the party to grow.
Yet, we rank-and-file Democrats need to be very cautious! This last election clearly demonstrated that our Central Committee leadership suffers from some real flaws in their ethics and their own commitment to the party as demonstrated by their personal endorsement of a Green Party candidate over the officially endorsed Democratic candidate. In addition, our party for the most part appears to be the predominant political party in Humboldt County and thus maintains the greatest power. As a result, the leadership may be suffering from that old saying; “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Thus, given the change in the way the budget will be used and the new tool for “mentoring” potential candidates, will our Central Committee continue to slide into the mind-meld with Local Solutions and the Green Party and further alienating the rank-and-file Democrat? Time will tell and so will our involvement in the party to assure that it represents Democrats and does not try to impose or define for us a single definition of a Democrat or our party.
We need a guiding philosophy, not demagoguery. I fear that left to their own devices and unattended scrutiny by the majority of the party membership we will not long be the party of FDR, Truman, Kennedy or Clinton here in Humboldt County.
Sincerely,
Rick Greene
Still a Democrat and maybe even and Associate
Arcata
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