MAHONING COUNTY DEMOCRATS Ditzler's take on endorsements
The vote among the democratic party's precinct committee members will be close, the chairman said.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- David Ditzler acknowledges that his plan to have the Mahoning County Democratic Party reinstate endorsements in primary elections is a divisive issue.
Even though party officials saw the Democrats of the 17th District, a Mahoning Valley Democratic club, as a strong booster of the plan, the organization voted by a one-vote margin to urge the party not to endorse candidates.
"That's pretty much how the precinct people are going to vote," said Ditzler, county party chairman. "It's pretty evenly split as to people who want it and people who don't want it. I'm sure the vote by the precinct committee members will be close."
Ditzler wants the party to restore the endorsement policy, eliminated in 1994 when Michael Morley led the Democrats for Change movement replacing Don L. Hanni Jr. as party chairman.
Fees required: Ditzler, chairman since 1999, favors restoring the endorsement policy as a way to strengthen the party and to raise money for campaigns by requiring each candidate getting an endorsement to pay an assessment fee.
"It's a sensitive issue that comes with a lot of pros and cons," Ditzler said. "I can make an argument for both sides."
Members of the party's Constitution Revision Committee will be visiting various local Democratic groups during the next month discussing the endorsement plan. The 17th District group was the first stop.
"The intent is to go around and get different viewpoints on what needs to be done and establish the parameters of the endorsements," Ditzler said.
An open forum to discuss changes to the party's constitution will be in May. The party's precinct committee members will vote on the proposals in June.
If endorsements are reinstated, they will begin with the 2002 primary election, Ditzler said.