Among those found guilty with him was Herbert Vederman, a long-time Democrat man of influence who is still listed at ZoomInfo.com as senior consultant for the Government and Public Affairs Group at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, a Philadelphia law firm.
Val DiGiorgio
Think he knew Val DiGiorgio? Val is the Chester County Republican Party chairman who chairs Stradley Ronon’s banking and public finance sections and includes Government and Public Affairs as part of his “focus”.
Wonder if Vederman knew Josh Shapiro. Josh, who chairs the Montgomery County Democrat Party, is counsel at Stradley Ronon. He is this year’s D candidate for state Attorney General.
Donna Ellingsen Thank You — Donna Ellingsen, the independent-thinking Chester County committeewoman who the party powers tried to remove this winter, overwhelmingly won re-election to her post on April 26.
She has sent out the below heart-felt thank you to her many supporters.
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
In last Tuesday’s Primary Election, I was re-elected as Republican Committeewoman in Elk township by a vote of 195 to 119 votes. Here is the unofficial report.
I had the distinction of being the only Committee person in Southern Chester County to have a challenger run against me. Nevertheless, with your help, I easily won re-election to the Republican Committeewoman spot. Even though I was personally unable to visit everyone as usual this time, voter turnout in Elk Twp was the highest in all of our Area 19 at an unprecedented 61.9% of all registered township Republicans.
Thank you to all those who came out to vote, inquired about the state of affairs with the GOP HQ, and offered help in whatever is needed. Your prayers and support are a blessing to me.
Gratefully, Donna Ellingsen
P.S.: In case you missed it here are the links to:
My most recent April 12th radio interview; starting at the 1:01 mark
Copy of the letter received from GOP outlining their terms of the special hearing, apparently held without our participation
WFYL Airs Chesco Controversy — Donna Ellingsen and Jaime Cox discussed Chester County matters on April 12 on Kim Kennedy’s excellent It’s A New Day program on WFYL 1180 AM.
Other guests included BillLawrencOnline.com, John Haenn of the Delaware County Patriots, and Calvin Tucker of the Philadelphia Black Republican Council. Tucker is on the ballot in Pennsylvania’s 2nd District as a presidential delegate and explained the process at which he will use to make a decision on which candidate to pick as the nominee.
National hosts carried by WFYL include Laura Ingraham, Sam Rohrer, Dana Loesch and Phil Valentine.
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.
Donna Ellingsen
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.
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 Inquisition Latest — For those who have been wondering about the status of the Chester County Republican Inquisition, we just found this in our inbox.
Election day is April 26, and we are still awaiting a reply from the Chester County GOP for a suitable date for a “hearing” of charges leveled against the Republican Committee in East Nottingham and Elk townships. While charges have apparently been dropped by the accusers in East Nottingham, Mark Plaugher (former GOP Area chair) and Estace Walters (Twp Supervisor) continue to pursue a case to unseat conservative Elk Township Committeepeople Donna Ellingsen and Steve Mobley.
Donna and Steve have nothing to hide. They have asked that the hearings be open, recorded, and that Chairman Val DiGiorgio be present. Since December 2015 when charges were filed, county leaders have not deigned to reply to these requests. The big question is WHY?
Listen in to WFYL 1180 AM on TUESDAY, April 12 from 8 to 9 a.m., when Donna will be a guest of Kim Kennedy’s radio show, It’s a New Day.
So dial tomorrow to WFYL and get it straight from one of those directly involved.
By the way, the Chairman Val DiGirorgio and the Republican Committee of Chester County have a special guest at its spring reception at Valley Forge Casino — Ohio Gov. and no-chance Presidential candidate John Kasich, who for some strange reason insists on staying in the battle.
The event is April 21, just five days before the Pennsylvania primary.
So for the vast multitudes –that’s sarcasm, son– of Republicans who want a guy who finished fourth in a three man race to head the ticket, know that Val and the RCCC have your back.
Actually, the relevant revelation is that DiGirorgio, who reportedly will be the next state Republican chairman, and the RCCC are out of touch and indifferent to the wishes of the vast multitudes of Republican voters.
Chesco Inquisition Update — The Chester County Republican bosses appear to have dropped the matter against committeepersons Jane Ladley and Tom Ferro regarding alleged violations of party bylaws but continue their Javertesque pursuit of committeepeople Donna Ellingsen and Steve Mobley.
The county GOP sent a letter to the accused asking them to set a date in March for the hearing. The accused offered March 7, 8 or 9.
No can do said the county leaders and suggested March 29 or March 31.
The latest we hear is that those dates are problematic for the accused and new ones will have to be set.
The accused say they are looking forward to a hearing and that they will insist that it be open to the public and the press.
The next head of the Pennsylvania Republican Party?
Val DiGiorgio Replacing Gleason? — A little birdie told us that Chester County Republican Chairman Val DiGiorgio has the inside track to replace Rob Gleason as chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart, who has quite a bit of influence in state-wide GOP circles, was reportedly boosting him big at the Feb. 15 Spirit of Lincoln Dinner hosted by the Allegheny County Republican Party out there in Pittsburgh.
If our birdie is accurate, we betcha Montco Dem boss Josh Shapiro is quietly cheering.
Chesco Inquisition Closed? Not So Fast — Long-time Republican and Phoenixville election worker Paul Celentano missed the note that the Chester County Republican Party inquisition scheduled for Feb. 11 at party HQ on Church Street in West Chester so he went.
He was met by the county GOP Executive Director Laura Wagoner who explained that the event was cancelled but he couldn’t have attended anyway as it would have been a closed hearing.
The hearing is suspected to have been an attempt to remove committeepeople ane Ladley, Tom Ferro, Steve Mobley and Donna Ellingsen who are accused of violating party bylaws for supporting candidates other than the nominated ones.
Mrs. Ladley is the Area 19 chairwoman.
Mrs. Ellingsen says that those accused have not consented to a closed hearing.
“We have specifically informed the Chesco GOP solicitor that we have nothing to hide behind closed doors,” she said.
Donna Ellingsen, an anti-corruption committeewoman from Elks Township.
Chesco Inquisition Postponed Again — The inquisition being sought by the leaders of the Chester County Republican that appears to be part of a purge of anti-corruption activists has again been postponed this time at the request of party bosses
The most recent scheduling had been for Thursday, Feb. 11.
Four committeepeople — Jane Ladley, Tom Ferro, Steve Mobley and Donna Ellingsen — are accused of violating party bylaws for supporting candidates other than the nominated ones.
