Day: April 14, 2016

Chesco Conservatives Reject Inquisitors’ Demands — The grassroots constitutionalists have rejected the demands of the Chester County Republican Inquisition to appear before it this evening, April 14.

The Inquisition against the grassroots leadership of Area 19 was initially convened for Jan. 11.  Committeepeople  Jane Ladley, who chairs the district, Tom Ferro, Donna Ellingsen and Steve Mobley were accused of violating party bylaws and of not backing the left-leaning, big-government, Establishment-supported picks in the last municipal election.

Well, unfortunate light began to be shed on the various connections and histories of those seeking the purge. So delays began happening.

Eventually, the charges were withdrawn against Ferro and Mrs. Ladley.

Still facing the dock, though, were Mrs. Ellingsen and Mobley, and they were told to schedule time for a hearing in March. They suggested three dates. No can do said the party bosses who set dates in late March which the grassroots constitutionalists could not attend.

On April 10, in response to many inquiries, Mrs. Ellingsen sent an email update noting  dates had been offered but they were awaiting confirmation that the hearing would be open to the public as per their request.

Did that get a response.

The GOP bosses immediately set the date for April 14 without confirming the schedules of the accused.

Mobley is going to be out of state that day on a previously planned trip.

But the scheduling is not the big issue.

The big issue is that the hearing be open to the public.  The party says no.

The party also warned them that they be strictly limited in the matters they could raise in their case and this would be judged by Joel Frank, the lawyer to county GOP Chairman Val DiGiorgio. This means that instances in which party favorites did similar things without controversy or sanction would be kept from being aired.

The directive would also prevent the grassroots people from pointing out actions by party leaders that are far more damaging to the claimed Republican agenda and supportive of the opposition.

In lieu of this, the accused do not believe the party leadership is interested in healing rifts that have developed and further don’t believe party leadership has any intention of allowing a fair hearing.

“Since no agreement has been reached and one of the parties is unavailable, it appears there is no hearing tonight,” said Mrs. Ellingsen.

Mrs. Ellingsen is on the ballot for the April 26 primary election.

“By mere coincidence, I am the only committeewoman in Area 19 with a challenger,” she said. “The challenger is someone who has been politically uninvolved until now and sympathetic to the GOP Establishment views. “

Chesco Conservatives Reject Inquisitors’ Demands