Local Dems stress unity after embattled chair retains seat
By Nick Claussen
April 7, 2008
After a divisive few months for the Athens County Democratic Party, the party has re-elected Susan Gwinn as chair and will now move forward toward the November general election.
Local Democrats were focusing on a message of unity last week, and one of Gwinn’s main critics — Athens County Prosecutor C. David Warren — said Friday that while he would have preferred to have had someone else elected chair, he hopes everyone in the party can now work together.
Last Thursday, Athens County Democrats voted 34 to 23 to keep Susan Gwinn as chair. Gwinn had been challenged by Carol Patterson, a former member of Athens City Council.
The vote was held as part of the committee’s organizational meeting at the Athens Community Center.
The Central Committee has 69 seats, but only 59 of the committee members attended the meeting to vote. Two of the members abstained from voting.
Central Committee member Keller Blackburn raised an objection during the meeting, arguing that the county party bylaws state that vacant seats on the committee should be filled before the party chair vote was held.
“This is to occur prior to the election of the chair,” Blackburn said.
Democrat Bill Biddlestone argued against this, though, and pointed out that the issue had been brought up too late in the meeting. Both men are lawyers.
The vacant seats were not filled, and Julia Michael Scott, who was leading the meeting, explained that the committee was only following the procedure that it has followed at previous meetings. The vacant seats will be filled at a later time, Scott said.
Patterson and Gwinn spoke before the vote was held, and Patterson maintained that the party needs a change in leadership.
“It’s time to heal,” Patterson declared. She said the party has become divided, and promised to work to rebuild the party.
She had previously spoken out against negativity in the party, particularly related to Gwinn’s campaign against incumbent Democrat Warren in last month’s Democratic primary for Athens County prosecutor. Warren won the Democratic primary, and has no Republican opponent in the fall.
As party chief, Patterson vowed to support all Democrats in office and to remain neutral in their primary campaigns. She said she was offering a choice in party leadership.
In her comments before the vote, Gwinn talked about how the party needs to get all Democrats involved in the November election, and said she will continue to work hard for the party.
After the vote, Gwinn thanked the Democrats for their support. She said she expects Democrats to win all of the countywide elections in November but acknowledged that county Dems have their work cut out to help provide the margin of victory in the 92nd Ohio House race between Democrat Debbie Phillips and Republican Jill Thompson, “which, of course, we have to win.”
Patterson asked to speak after the vote was announced, and asked her supporters to work with Gwinn and do whatever they can to help the party.
“We need a unified party,” Patterson said.
After the meeting, Gwinn said that the vote went about as she expected, and declined to respond to Patterson’s comments about problems with party unity and the need for change.
Gwinn added that she is already working with candidates for the fall election, and noted that it’s a pivotal election for local and national races. Asked about party unity after a seven-person county commissioner race and a hotly contested presidential party nominating battle, Gwinn said she does not expect any problems with local Democrats getting behind their candidates.
Blackburn said after the meeting that he was disappointed that the vacant seats were not filled before the vote was held. Because those seats were not filled, the people who live in those voting precincts were not given a voice in the vote, he said.
“The people in Nelsonville 4-2 deserve to be heard,” Blackburn said, referring to one of the precincts with a vacant seat.
ON FRIDAY, WARREN said he will do whatever he can to work with Gwinn and the local Democratic Party.
“We always strive to work together,” Warren said. Asked if he’s concerned about Gwinn’s supporters being angry with Patterson’s supporters or vice versa, Warren would only say that “it’s important for the party to come together.” He added that he is not on the party’s Central Committee, and it was up to the committee to vote on the chair.
“I had my preferences and that wasn’t it,” Warren said. “Again, that’s not my decision.”
Warren has not spoken to Gwinn since the March 4 primary, and said he hopes she can work with all members of the party.
“Maybe some of the people have talked to her about how to unify the party and work with elected officials and officeholders,” Warren said. “I’m just going to go on with the business of being county prosecutor.”
Patterson said Sunday that the election shows there are Democrats who feel left out of the local party.
“Perhaps they can be more attentive to that and make the party stronger,” Patterson said. She added that she is now concerned about how Gwinn will treat the officeholders that she may perceive as not supporting her.
“I felt that all officeholders have to be supported,” she said. “The chair can’t just pick and choose who she thinks is good and bad.”
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