Butler County GOP Update

I hesitate to wade in to these troubled waters, but I'm going to because I think the story is an important one.

At the last central committee meeting, the by-laws covering several areas including the endorsement process were amended. The endorsement process has become a rather hot issue in the Butler County GOP and both sides of the argument have plenty to say. (Middletown Journal)

"The whole point of the endorsement is to declare to the Republican voters at large that this is the candidate the party feels has aligned themselves (with the local GOP)," said Tom Ellis, party chairman.

"We are hopeful that any candidate that does not win the endorsement would respectfully withdraw from the race," Ellis said.

This is how the system is designed to work and when all things are equal, it works. But is everything equal? That is a question that is being raised...

But some — such as Sean Maloney, a member of the party's elected central committee — question the process.

In a letter to fellow party leaders, Maloney calls the endorsement "back room good old boy politics."

"The endorsement process has nothing to do with who is well qualified. It's who is scratching whose back," Maloney said by phone. "In Butler County in general, if you get the endorsement, you get the election."

There have been two notable exceptions to Maloney's statement: Kay Rogers (auditor) and Mike Fox (former county commissioner).

There is at least one candidate, Rawnica Dillingham, who feels that the process is tainted so badly that the endorsement is not worth having:

"I believe the local Republican Party's endorsement process has been destroyed through back room deals and good old boy politics," she said.

Her opponent, Commissioner Chuck Furmon, feels differently:

"I value the endorsement highly," he said. "It's a cross-section of the entire county and representatives from the entire county that are in the party."

I joined the central committee to get a feel for this situation myself, but it is interesting to see that this issue is finally getting some sunlight in the media. I'd love to follow Ronald Reagan's adage of "Trust, but verify" but I have come to experience that "Verify, then trust" is a better way of preventing getting burned.

I will say this: I have seen no evidence to suggest that the Screening Committee has been unduly influenced by incumbents or candidates for any other reason that convincing the members that the endorsed candidate was the right person for the job as evaluated. To suggest malice or coercion without presenting documentation is a tough sell and while I'm in the market, I'm not buying it yet.

UPDATE: I just realized that I didn't put in my standard language about having anyone from the Butler County GOP or any candidate running in Butler County wanting to comment can do so by either jumping in to the comments section or by emailing me at wmdtvmatt - at - yahoo - dot - com. I'm interested in your opinion!