Most grassroots political activists who spoke at a public hearing this morning said they’re against a bill that would automatically make legislators members of party executive committees.
“This is nothing but a blatant power grab,” said Selina Vickers, who was a Democratic candidate for House of Delegates last year. “It would drown out the voices and more importantly the votes of other committee members, and I suspect that’s the point.”
Vickers added, “This is legislators attempting to stack the deck solidly in their favor, and it’s despicable.”
Donna Holstine, an elected member of the state GOP Executive Committee from Kanawha County, agreed.
Holstine said the way the party apparatus is set up now is meant to prevent the concentration of power and to promote checks and balances. This bill, she said, would make the state executive committee just another arm of the state Legislature.
“It is now time to cast aside our differences, come together and work for the good of the citizens of West Virginia,” Holstine said. “The system, as it currently is, is not broken.”
HB2354 – Relating to political party committees — is under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.
The bill is before the House Judiciary Committee. It would establish that any elected state representative in the House or Senate would be considered affiliated members of their respective political party’s executive committee, from start to finish.
Any legislators could also be elected to serve as officers on party executive committees. And the bill says nothing would prevent a legislator from having multiple votes on a state committee if they are also a county chair, officer or elected member of the committee.
The lead sponsor is Delegate Joshua Higginbotham, R-Putnam, who has pushed for it the past two years.
“I think the bill is needed,” Higginbotham said Tuesday on “580 Live” on WCHS Radio. “I think there’s a disconnect between the actual elected officials and the state party, and this is in the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.”
The bill is being considered shortly after a West Virginia GOP meeting that was confusing and contentious. The GOP executive committee needed two votes to select Dr. Mark Harris, the former chief of staff at Beckley VA Medical Center, as its new chairman.
“We hear you. We hear your concerns, and we would like to reciprocate with answers,” Beth Bloch, a national committeewoman for the West Virginia Republican Party said at today’s public hearing. “The party is not perfect.”
But in this case, she concluded, “Be careful what you wish for.”
Speaking in favor of the bill was Jay Taylor, a member of the state GOP executive committee from Taylor County.
“Opposition to this bill confuses me greatly,” Taylor said. “It’s almost stunning that our elected officials aren’t official members of the executive committee. The sole purpose of the executive committee is to help our elected officials.”
Most speakers, though, said the automatic inclusion of elected legislators on the party committee would water down the influence of grassroots activists.
Ben Anderson, the GOP chairman in Greenbrier County, said the bill would be unlawful, unethical and unwise.
“This would be government overreach at its finest, “Anderson said. “If legislators want to have a say on the party executive committee, they should run for the position.”
Ryan Frankenberry, executive director of the progressive Working Families West Virginia, agreed on that point.
“I signed up at the last minute and am still unsure why we’re having this hearing and what’s the need for this bill,” said Frankenberry who was the morning’s first speaker.
Republicans spent years complaining about how Democrats worked as West Virginia’s dominant party, Frankenberry said. “I’m surprised to see the party in charge now rushing to create an atmosphere that is equally as bad.”
“It’s really an affront to all of the hard workers that put on the bean dinner that go out and register voters that do the real work to get people elected,” Frankenbery said. “I think we need to have more voices in the political atmosphere. We need to respect those who have run for local elective offices.”