County Dems: 'Secretive' endorsement in Middletown violated rules

A Courier Times article

By MICHAEL MACAGNONE STAFF WRITER

The executive committee of the Middletown Democratic Party acted improperly when it endorsed Gina Kiley, who's seeking the party's nomination for the 142nd House District seat, according to the Bucks County Democratic Party chairman.

Chairman John Cordisco sent a letter to township party leaders, chiding them for holding a “secretive” endorsement meeting of fewer than 10 people -- including, he said, some who don't live in the 142nd District.

Kiley, an attorney, faces former Neshaminy school board president and recently registered Democrat Ritchie Webb in the primary. The winner will face incumbent Republican Frank Farry in the fall. The district includes Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Lower Southampton and parts of Middletown and Upper Southampton.

“The actions you have taken run contrary to the rules and spirit of our organization. Each of our party organizations must strive to be as inclusive as possible.
Unfortunately, you have chosen a course of conduct that has been exclusive rather than inclusive,” Cordisco’s letter said.

Harry Arnold, chairman of the Middletown Democrats, said his group followed its bylaws and endorsed only in their municipality, as they are allowed to do. “Each individual municipality or borough (political party) can decide within their own little organization whether or not they are going to endorse a candidate,” he said.

Cordisco said every Middletown Democratic committee member who lives in the district -- not just executive committee members -- should have been allowed to vote on any endorsement -- and that could have included several dozen elected committee members.

“If four people in a municipality that large can decide who gets endorsed, (that) flies in the face of everything a democratic organization represents,” he said.

The endorsement can result in financial support from a committee and having the endorsement appear on a sample ballot given out to voters, Arnold said. Cordisco said the county's sample ballots are already being printed without the Middletown endorsement, and any ballots produced by a township party would have to be approved by him. Arnold argued that the Middletown Democrats who endorsed Kiley should have been allowed to put their endorsement on the sample ballots distributed to Middletown voters.

The township committee held an executive committee meeting to endorse a candidate on March 21, which Arnold said is allowed under its bylaws. Arnold said the committee notified all eight eligible members of the party's executive committee either through the mail or over the phone. Cordisco said not all the eligible executive committee members had been properly notified of the meeting.

Kiley said the controversy is distracting from the business of the campaign.

"It seems like it should be a moot point, because both of our names will be on the goldenrod (sample ballot) and I have not received a dime from the DPMT (Democratic Party of Middletown Township)" she said. "I would rather just get to the issues and put our focus there."

A statement from Webb’s campaign decried the endorsement, saying that it violated the spirit of an open primary.