There was no party coup

There was no party coup

EDITOR:

While I appreciate all the hard work Tom Lamb has done on behalf of the Democratic Party, I must take exception to a number of points he raised in a letter to The Vindicator last Sunday.

First of all, the chair of the party does not appoint all the members of the executive committee. This group is comprised of all the elected party officers as well as members named by the chair. When I was elected earlier this year I expanded this important committee to include every elected Democratic officeholder in Mahoning County. As a result, it is now more diverse and representative of all Democrats than at any time in our history. I took this step because I am committed to ensuring that no one person — including the chair — can control our party.

Second, under Article XIV of the party’s constitution, the “Executive Committee [is] to act at all times for the Central Committee when the Central Committee is not in session.” That means that when the executive committee unanimously adopted a resolution regarding the deeply flawed casino initiative it was doing so on behalf of the central committee. As a result, it is entirely proper to say that the Mahoning County Democratic Party is officially and vehemently opposed to the scheme currently being pushed by the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee.

I would also note that although the resolution gives me the authority to expend party resources to fight the proposal, both County Commissioner John McNally and I are providing our legal services free of charge.

Finally, I want to assure Mr. Lamb and every resident of the Mahoning Valley that the party will be at the forefront of the health care debate in our area. We are in daily contact with the Ohio Democratic Party and we are preparing to participate in the concerted effort to help President Obama, Sen. Brown, and Reps. Ryan and Wilson reform America’s broken health care delivery system.

DAVID BETRAS

Boardman

X The writer is chair of the Mahoning County Democratic Party.