ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997 TAG: 9701240046
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ONZLEE WARE
IN RESPONSE to your Jan. 18 news article, ``Primary plan splits Democrats'':
I would like to correct the statement that, under the Democratic Party rules, a local incumbent in a constitutional office has the privilege to choose the method of nomination.
It's true that incumbent members of the General Assembly, pursuant to the state code, may exercise this privilege, and an incumbent constitutional officeholder may choose a primary as the method of nomination if he or she was elected by a primary to his or her current term in office. Otherwise, the nomination method is decided solely by members of the Roanoke City Democratic Committee.
I am bewildered as to how those who supported the hybrid method of nomination can believe that it will promote party unity. Throughout the history of the city's Democratic Committee, there has never been a hybrid method of nomination. In fact, every current sitting incumbent in a constitutional office has been nominated by a mass meeting. As pointed out in your article, the current commissioner of revenue was nominated by a mass meeting in 1994.
For those who attended the committee meeting, it was clear that certain persons who controlled at least 20 votes tipped the scales and, subsequently, influenced the outcome.
However, these same persons vigorously argued for a mass meeting as the method of nomination for their particular offices, which was a direct contradiction to their position supporting the primary as the method of nomination for commissioner of revenue.
Further, it was clear that this hybrid method of nomination was orchestrated to discourage and obstruct any potential challenges for the commissioner of revenue's office.
I applaud all the members of the city's Democratic Committee who refused to be a part of this divisive method of nomination and placed the good of the party above one individual's selfish desires. Most notable was Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell's comments in opposing this hybrid nomination scheme. It was apparent to all present that he is truly a man of principles, and sincerely places party unity ahead of divisive political maneuvers.
Onzlee Ware is chairman of the 6th District Democratic Committee.
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