Some Democrats and Republicans in
The county commission created the task force to examine past problems with our elections, with the goal of recommending changes that would help improve the system.
Before the first public meeting of the task force in July, the
That’s reasonable enough. That’s what the task force sought.
The e-mail ended with this note: “The best way for evil, malfeasance, corruption, incompetence to prosper is for good men and women to do nothing.”
That was probably unnecessary, especially since Sid Goddard, Republican Party chair, is also a member of the task force. Because of that, some will say he was the first to politicize the task force.
In response to Goddard’s e-mail, the first meeting of the task force in July was flooded by Republicans with harsh words about the elections bureau and Torres. One member of the
I don’t disagree with the criticism of Torres. I’ve written that she is incompetent and may need to resign. (You can read that posting by clicking here.) But that’s beyond the scope of the task force’s work or authority. Republicans and Democrats alike need to focus on how to improve the policies and procedures in the elections bureau.
After many Republicans and only one Democrat spoke at the first meeting, Whitley sent an e-mail to Democrats urging them to attend the next meeting, held Saturday.
“We need to have a big Democratic presence,” Whitley wrote. “… The Republicans are working very hard to totally discredit our clerk through attacking the bureau of elections. We need support from you, our loyal Democrats, to point out the good things the bureau of elections has done and to speak favorably about Rita Torres – otherwise the county commissioners are going to hear only comments intended to discredit the clerk’s office.”
Then it gets really bad.
“The Republicans want control of the county clerk’s office very, very badly. They can’t win it through an honest election, so they are trying to get hold of it by these means. We cannot allow this to happen,” Whitley wrote. “At this moment, Republicans control the district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s department, which means that they can reveal or suppress, investigate or not investigate, any type of incident they choose – which obviously is why we read these constant attacks against Democratic elected officials in our Republican-controlled newspapers. Just imagine what would happen if they also controlled the county clerk’s office… So please, my friends – pack the public meeting halls. Let everyone know that we Democrats stand together, we are still in control, and we intend to stay that way.”
There’s lots to dissect here, but let’s start with what’s true in Whitley’s e-mail. Of course the Republicans want to control the county clerk’s office. Of course some Republicans want to politicize this task force to discredit Torres.
What’s wrong is Whitley’s blanket statement that the district attorney, sheriff and local newspapers are all Republican hacks, and that is why elected Democrats are in the news for misconduct.
First off, I was the author, when I was a reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News, of many of the articles about which Whitley is referring. I’m not a Republican hack. Goddard can tell Whitley all about the times I’ve infuriated him with articles I’ve written.
Second, Sheriff Todd Garrison is a moderate Republican who was appointed by a commission with a Democratic majority. Third, the Republican Party is none too happy with District Attorney Susana Martinez these days, since she announced that she’s supporting Democrat incumbent Gary Perez in the assessor race this year because she believes the Republican candidate is incompetent.
If she were really in on some Republican conspiracy to take over the clerk’s office, as Whitley seems to infer, why hasn’t Martinez prosecuted Torres, whose office has almost certainly committed elections violations since she’s been in office?
The facts don’t back up Whitley’s claims.
Several Democratic elected officials have been in trouble in recent years because they misbehaved. Is Whitley really going blame Republicans for the departure of former Magistrate Judge Reuben Galvan, who admitted to conduct that violated judicial ethics? Is she really going to blame Republicans for the fact that former Deputy Treasurer Rocio Gamboa was arrested for having a multitude of unpaid parking tickets, a publicized event that cost her the treasurer election?
What Whitley fails to mention is that Commissioners Bill McCamley and Dolores Saldaña-Caviness, two of three Democrats on the commission, are both fed up, like Republicans, with the problems that have plagued county elections for years. Their anger was apparent on their faces and in their voices when they discussed the creation of this task force during two commission meetings in June. Both made strong statements about what they called unacceptable problems in the elections bureau.
There are problems. It’s reality. Defending Torres isn’t going to help fix them.
Whitley isn’t the only one attempting to politicize the task force, and she might believe she was only responding to the Republican turnout at the first meeting. But the Republicans who have attempted to politicize the issue aren’t members of the task force. By agreeing to serve on the committee, Whitley was agreeing to put politics aside, examine problems, and come up with suggestions for real solutions.
Commissioners worked hard to create a task force that would not be political. All who are politicizing the task force need to stop.
Here is the text of Whitley’s e-mail:
From: The Democratic Party of Doña Ana County, democrats@zianet.com
Organization: the Democratic Party of
Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2006 14:31:26 -0600
Subject: URGETN! Everyone Please ATTEND these meetings if you can!
Dear Fellow Democrats:
There will be a public meeting conducted by the panel selected by the Doña Ana County Commission to investigate election procedures on Saturday, August 5, at 10 a.m. in the Gadsden Independent School District Board Room. (Take Artcraft exit from I-10, turn west. At the third light turn south onto McNutt Rd. GAC is about 3/4 of a mile from the first light on McNutt, intersection of Country Club and entrance to Santa Teresa. GAC is on the left-hand side, across from
The next public meeting after that will be at the
The Republicans are working very hard to totally discredit our Clerk through attacking the Bureau of Elections. We need support from you, our loyal Democrats, to point out the good things the Bureau of Elections has done and to speak favorably about Rita
Torres-otherwise the
The Republicans want control of the
So please, my friends-pack the public meeting halls. Let everyone know that WE DEMOCRATS STAND TOGETHER, WE ARE STILL IN CONTROL, AND WE INTEND TO STAY THAT WAY. The last public meeting of the election panel will be on Tuesday, 8/22, at 6 p.m. in the County Commission Chambers in
I thank you with all my heart for your faithfulness and support. Continue to hold your head high and be proud to be a Democrat. You can always contact me by leaving a message at Headquarters (524-4444) or calling me at home (phone number redacted).
Your
Melinda Whitley
Here is the text of the Republican Party’s e-mail:
From: darpoffice@darp.org
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:19 PM
Subject: Public Meeting – Voter irregularities/fraud
The task force assigned to investigate 2006 Primary Election problems in
Saturday, July 22, 2006
New
10:00 AM
Please come
We need those who have experienced irregularities and or fraud
We need the room filled with those interested in cleaning up
If you have an issue, please prepare a statement that can be read briefly or a statement you can hand into the task force
Your input and support is important
The best way for evil, malfeasance, corruption, incompetence to prosper is for good men and women to do nothing.