The state Democratic Party has seized temporary control of its Lackawanna County affiliate and plans to schedule a meeting soon to elect new county party officers.
Meeting via Zoom on Monday, the state party unanimously determined Chris Patrick’s term as county Democratic chairman had lapsed and took over the officer selection process, acting on numerous complaints by county Democrats upset at Patrick.
“We had written complaints and phone calls,” said a state party official, who spoke only if he were not named.
The party ruled Patrick could not block 76 newly elected local committee members from taking office and voting on new officers, the official said.
"Part of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s role, as outlined in our bylaws, is to ensure that county party reorganization efforts are conducted in accordance with those bylaws, and that is exactly what we are doing in Lackawanna and Forest counties," a state Democratic Party spokesperson said in a statement. "In response to the county party’s failure to complete its reorganization, the state party is stepping in to facilitate the reorganization process, in which all duly elected members will have the ability to participate. Once that process is complete, the leadership of the Lackawanna and Forest Democratic parties will be empowered to address and resolve any disputes."
The state party declined to make its chairman, Eugene DePasquale, available for an interview.
In a statement, Patrick called the state party's decision "disappointing" for Democrats who believe "our party’s rules should actually mean something." He said he consulted with DePasquale before declaring the 76 ineligible. The state chairman "gave his blessing for the letters (of ineligibility) to be issued," then changed his mind after "hearing from elected officials," Patrick said.
"While I respect the decision of the state committee and will accept it, I fundamentally disagree with it," Patrick said. "Rather than enforcing those rules equally, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party chose to look the other way. When rules are ignored because they become politically inconvenient, accountability disappears. A party that refuses to enforce its own bylaws loses the moral authority to demand accountability from anyone else."
In a statement issued after Patrick issued his, the state party did not specifically address his claim. But the statement said DePasquale tells local chairs to follow their bylaws to resolve matters when local parties raise issues.
"Chair Patrick failed to follow those bylaws, and as a result, we are stepping in to resolve the situation," the new statement said.
Patrick usurped
Patrick scheduled the reorganization vote for July 7, but a county court judge blocked that Monday. The state party weighed in separately.
The county party has 326 committee seats — one man and one woman for each of the county’s 163 voting precincts. Democrats elected new committee members at the May 19 primary election.
Three weeks ago, Patrick, who did not plan to seek reelection as chairman, began sending letters to the 76 telling them they were ineligible to serve as committee members. That made them ineligible to vote on new officers.
He did that because they violated a county party bylaw by supporting non-Democrats in special or general elections last year.
“We're a nation of laws, our laws are our bylaws. If you break the law for whatever reason, there's consequences to that. They broke our bylaws; that's our law,” Patrick said last week.
Many of the 76 protested loudly, through social media posts, traditional media or to state party leaders.
“This by-law wasn't being enforced, and now on his way out the door, it's enforced to the tune of 76 individuals,” said Patrick Flynn, a Scranton city councilman who’s also an elected committee member. “It's just beyond my comprehension that this is the way to leave the party behind, ... to basically, you know, burn it to the ground on your way out the door. It makes me sick."
The pending court battle
Represented by attorney P. Timothy Kelly, 13 elected committee members went to court Monday and asked a judge to intervene. Judge Terrence R. Nealon ordered a halt to the July 7 vote until after another court hearing.
About the same time, the state party found Patrick’s term as chairman lapsed June 24, the deadline for choosing new officers under the county party’s by-laws, the state official said.
The by-laws say the party must reorganize (choose officers) by the sixth Wednesday after a primary election. The primary was May 19 and the sixth Wednesday after that was June 24.
The state party official said Patrick had to complete the reorganization by June 24 and didn’t.
“We look forward to working closely with the members of the Lackawanna and Forest County Democratic Parties toward our primary objective, electing Democrats up and down the ballot,” the state spokesperson said.
Patrick planned to hear appeals
Under county party bylaws, the committee members declared ineligible could appeal Patrick’s decision to the county executive committee.
In a text Monday, Patrick said 42 had appeal hearings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
One was Lexie Kelly, an elected committeewoman, a leader of the party faction Lackawanna United Democrats and a candidate for county party chair. Kelly, the wife of P. Timothy Kelly, said the state party affirmed: “that fairness, due process, and democracy matter.” She thanked DePasquale and party leaders for acting quickly.
She called the state decision “a turning point” for county Democrats who can now concentrate on building a party "that welcomes participation, values transparency, respects election results, and is focused on winning elections for Democrats across Lackawanna County."
“It restores confidence that fairness, due process, and the will of Democratic voters come before politics,” Kelly wrote. “This is a major step forward for the good guys.”
Renewed legal battle avoided
The state party intervention will likely fend off a prolonged legal battle similar to one that divided the county party last year.
The county party and Democratic County Commissioner Bill Gaughan fought bitterly over filling a commissioner vacancy, including the need for a special election to fill the vacancy.
The party’s process for choosing its special election candidate, Thom Welby, drew criticism as lacking transparency.
Patrick defends record
In an interview as the latest controversy exploded into public view last week, Patrick said he did his best as county party chairman for the last 12 years.
“I walk away, and I'm done. I gave 12 good years, and never lost an election to a Republican, and took the DA’s office back after 50 years,” Patrick said, referring to electing a Democratic district attorney in 2017, the first time since 1965.
Democrats hold every county elected post except the commissioner seat guaranteed by law to an opposition party.
Critics have cited Patrick’s failure to hold regular meetings and push to register more Democrats as Republicans narrowed the voter registration gap in the county and statewide in the last decade.
“Democratic registration has dropped everywhere,” Patrick said. “I mean, Luzerne County's gone, Monroe County is half and half, but we're surrounded by a sea of red and we still keep winning elections statewide and national elections, so you know I think we're doing something right, and I'll stand behind my record with anybody that wants to criticize it.”
