Minarik’s Mendon massacre
RochesterTurning has just obtained the minutes of a meeting of the Mendon Republican Committee. Minarik has dissolved the committee, probably as a response to Republican losses in last year’s Mendon town elections (from the minutes, boldfacing mine):
Welcome to Visitors
Chair Mattaro welcomed visitors to the meeting: committee - Steve Roethel, Bob Morgan, Bill Robinson.Town Chair Mattaro introduced Steve Minarik, Monroe County Republican Chairman. Mr. Minarik informed the committee that he was in attendance at this meeting tonight to address the political issues within the Town of Mendon and that it was not going to be a pleasant visit. He stated that this committee has not done their work and successfully put Republican candidates in ofice, and it was an ineffective group. Minarik asked for resignations of all committee members effective immediately, if in two weeks, they were not received, those not submitting would be removed. He, as County Chairman, will issue member reinstatement to those members he chooses. Minarik informed those present there was no longer an active Mendon Republican Committee and no further action could be taken by those who believed they were on the committee until further notice. Resignation letters were distributed and given to Town Leader Federico. The letters of those members not present were given to Town Leader Federico to return to Minarik to be sent out.
We should have a full copy of the minutes up soon.
Update: Here’s the full minutes. I should add that I can’t verify for certain that these are real, but they certainly look real to me.
Good thing this wasn’t ER - asking for mass resignations gets people uppity.
Nope, in Mendon it’s, “thank you sir, may I have another?”
Asking for mass resignations and then reinstating? Isn’t that what they used to do in the Politburo?
Minarik is such a jerk.
The amazing thing is that nothing in the minutes indicates what reaction, if any, came from the 21 committee members in attendance. I serve on a town committee (Democrats) and I can tell you if our county chair came and pulled a move like this, there would be a huge ruccus and a boisterous shouting match… something along the lines of “YOU can’t tell US how to run OUR committee!” Were the Mendon Republicans really so docile, or were the minutes sanitized?
From the Honeoye Falls Sentinel (early edition):
(I want to party with this cowboy)
Is that THE Cara Briggs, as in the R’s 2007 DA candidate, that was forced to resign as part of this hatchet job?
One in the same. Married to committee member Don Irvine (”Chainsaw Donnie”)
Yep - Heck of a candidate and committee member Carla.
Kind of gives a fresh perspective of the Dems wisdom of not running anyone for Mendon’s district 12 county legislature seat last year.
And what fresh perspective would that be???
OK. Maybe fresh is not the right word.
The fact is that the view of both the Republican and Democratic party structure was wrong on Mendon. Obviously Minarik is not changing his tactics in response to a change in voter views. Will the Democratic party learn from Mendon 2007, in the way they refused after Parma 2006, and change their tactic on writing off elections?
This action with the Republican committee is telling of Minarik’s slipping ability to maintain order in his party structure. How many Republicans has he pissed off with these strong arm tactics over the years and how many of them are laying in wait to topple his leadership when he can no longer deliver predictable Republican strongholds like Mendon?
+++
Can you expand 2 points.
Why the D and R party structure was wrong in Mendon and second, what did the Dem refuse to learn in Parma comment?
For the members of our audience.
Thanks
In 2006 both county parties believed there was no chance that a Democrat could be elected to Parma town board. Resources were allocated based on this belief and a political novice in his early twenties looses by 3 votes.
In 2007 both county parties believed that Mendon was a Republican stronghold. Based on this belief, no one even ran against County Legislator Jeff Adair’s incompetent representation. The results of the Mendon town election show that both parties were wrong.
The lesson from Parma and Mendon is that the whole county is soft and that targeting should be used as a tool, not worn as a blinder. The lines of these election districts aren’t drawn on the ground and few people even know or care what one they live in. People that live in Mendon mingle with people that live in Pittsford, and I bet some even know people that live in Wheatland. It is not a stretch to imagine they talk amongst themselves, but the conversation is over if no one is on the ballot to vote for.
Would another voice running in the 12 (with its 7 Pittsford EDs) and talking about Pittsford issues door to door have created enough synergy to give Nixon another 200 votes? How many people that live in Pittsford went into the voting booth thinking they were going to vote for Nixon only to find that not only was his name not on the ballot, but in fact no Democrats name was on the ballot for legislature?
Hard to say…
I don’t think it’s fair to say resources were allocated in 2006 based on the belief that Parma couldn’t be won. MCDC, and therefore Morelle, believes, I feel, that if a candidate is willing to put in a decent amount of work (walking, fundraising, etc…) they will match that work with services or other assistance.
See this link for the breakdown of funding allocations by MCDC for the 2006 elections:
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/reports/rwservlet?cmdkey=efs_sch_report+p_filer_id=C19623+p_e_year=2006+p_freport_id=F+p_transaction_code=R
It shows MCDC put more resources in the Parma race than any other race that year.
By the way, while Minarik is at it, perhaps he should dissolve the Chili committee, might give Dunning a better perspective of what his party is truly all about.
You’re right about Parma.
I have changed my view.
Why even bother with elections you can’t win?
Excellent points about geography and the full-court press.
WOW - Talk about Tale of two parties.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Can any Democratic Committee member imagine Joe Morelle coming in and tossing you off the town committee? Is it even possible?
If any Dem chair ever pulled what Minairk is pulling (with this being only the most recent debacle), I’d switch to the WFP. I’d expect the same is about to happen with at least a few GOPers.
I think its possible and frankly I’d like to see it done more often in some places. Elections are not hobbies for the armchair ranters. It’s pretty serious business and if you don’t know what you are doing or lack vision and purpose, get out of the way. As Barbara Boxer said (a little out of context, but the points the same), elections have consequences (as we have all known too well). If a local committee cannot consistently get the job done, why should the county committee continue to let resources bleed dry there? As to firing a whole committee, that is pretty drastic, but starting with the chair and town leader is perfectly acceptable in my book. Joe could flex some muscle here and there. Might do the Dems some good. Minarik..well..he needs to fire himself since he is becoming the laughingstock of the state party.
I think State election law requires a court order to remove someone from a committee against their will.
Care to research and provide some links?
I’d be interested in that, too. Doesn’t seem right to me.
ARTICLE 16
JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS
Section 16-100. Jurisdiction; supreme court, county court.
16-102. Proceedings as to designations and nominations, primary
elections, etc.
16-104. Proceedings as to form of ballot, party name, etc.
16-106. Proceedings as to the casting and canvass of ballots.
16-108. Proceedings as to registration and voting.
16-110. Proceedings as to enrollment.
16-112. Proceedings for examination or preservation of ballots.
16-114. Proceedings to compel filing of statements or corrected
statements of campaign receipts, expenditures and
contributions.
16-115. Proceedings with respect to utilizing certain buildings
as polling places.
16-116. Proceedings; provisions in relation thereto.
16-118. Proceedings to review removal of committee member or officer.
There is more that I will find, but the Mendon people have rights to civil action and review as detailed in the section of NYS law. This is the civil law, but I know election law details the procedures and will locate it.
Are you sure the date of the meeting wasn’t April 1? This is absurd. Minarik has absolutely no authority to pull such a stunt and if the committee members fall for it, they truly don’t belong in politics
in the city we do stuff like this all the time, except from the bottom up. it is committee packing/stuffing. you just appoint a bunch of friends to your committee and force a vote. it usually only takes a handful of people to change the leadership of any committee. look at city ones. some have 100 people on them but only 20 show up at meetings. i don’t know of too many dems that would go into quiet shock if a chair showed up to boot everyone.
It would be my last day as a registered Dem.
Having the committee leadership resign their positions is one thing, but having people resign the committee itself is nuts IMO.
[...] D&C has a decent article on the forced resignations of the entire Mendon GOP [...]
[...] out Jiminy Bizbo was correct in the comments as they provided a pertinent section of election law. 16-118. Proceedings to review removal of [...]
I helped the democratic committee in the last election. We have good, well respected candidates. One of the candidates actually told me that she approached the republican party, but she wasn’t a registered republican so she wasn’t welcome.. Really.. Independents are NOT welcome at the republican commitee. Check it out.. You have to be a registered republican to attend.. Mendons Future party (the democrats) accept all political persuassions, including republicans that want something different. Closed mindedness is probably part of the problem.
[...] Remember Minarik’s Mendon Massacre? [...]