Newton County Politics is a hot mess right now:
Delia Fleming, Chair of the Newton Co. GOP, has decided to break GA GOP bylaws and state election law in order to maintain her and her cronies' perceived sense of power. Oh brother...
- Peach Pundit's coverage. Tone-deaf? Ah...that's a big 10-4!
- Bill Simon's on the mutha! From his Political Vine e-newsletter:
"It's not GOP-convention season without corruption taking place somewhere...
Really? REALLY, Newton County GOP? You people just have to be...the most tarded county Republican party in this state (to date, this year, at least...so, you other GOP parties have some guidance now in how idiotic you can act).So, here's the gist of the Newton County Republican Party idiocy: After precinct mass meetings were held in February, the county party chair, Delia Fleming, sent a letter out to some of the people who were elected at the precinct mass meetings that they are "ineligible"to attend the county convention in March. The reasoning is stated to their Newton County GOP Rules that someone has to have accumulated enough "merit points" to participate.The ever-so-slight problem with this letter, and her claim, is that their "party rules" are, in fact, ineligible to have any standing to be applied during this Convention Call season. Yeah, party rules do NOT apply in any way, shape, or form during this bi-annual party reorganization process.The only "rules" that apply to judge eligibility of any delegate to a county convention are: 1) The 2015 Georgia GOP Convention Call, 2) the State Republican Party Rules (specifically, Rule 9.2), and 3) Robert's Rules of Order. All three govern, and no county party's, or even a district party's, rules/by-laws have any legal standing whatsoever.In fact...interestingly enough, there are actually a couple of state laws (O.C.G.A.) that apply and nullify letters like the one sent by Chair Fleming:Georgia Election Code OCGA 21-2-111: (c) "The respective county executive committees of each political party shall formulate, adopt, and promulgate rules and regulations, consistent with law and the rules and regulations of the state executive committee, governing the conduct of conventions and other party affairs. No such rule and regulation shall be effective until copies thereof, certified by the chairperson, have been filed with the superintendent of the county."Fleming's letter notifying some Newton County GOP convention delegates that they have not "fulfilled the requirements of Article II-Party Membership of the Newton County Republican Party" is in direct violation of the 2015 Convention Call, et al.AND, there is a remedy for this via this section of OCGA, Georgia Election Code OCGA 21-2-112(a): "When the state executive committee of a political party has reason to believe that the orders, rules, or regulations of the state executive committee, relating to all party matters except the conduct of primaries, are not being, or will not be, fairly, impartially, or properly enforced or applied in any county by the county executive committee of the party in such county, the state executive committee shall issue to such county committee a written notice of opportunity for hearing."This letter is in violation of the State Call, and is an attempt by the Newton County GOP to act in an unfair manner against registered voters who complied with the public notice to attend the mass-precinct meeting and qualify to become a delegate. Their county committee rules have no standing whatsoever.This letter from Chair Fleming is in direct violation of the law ordering them to "comply with the orders, rules, or regulations of the state executive committee" because NO SUCH "merit system" applies to delegates elected from the mass precinct meetings.You folks on the State Committee have been informally notified of the violation and a link to a copy of the letter. I imagine there will be a more formal 'notification' via the many people who received such letters in Newton County...but, that process may or may not occur before the county convention. Is the State GOP going to simply sit on their rear-end while this type of clear violation of the state committee's rules and regulations regarding the 2015 convention process remains unanswered?Let me put it this way: It won't be a very wise move if you ignore it, Mr. Padgett...because 2016 is just around the corner, and why would you want to encourage a lot of grief boiling over from 2015 to bleed into the 2016 cycle? (Of course, if you ask Anne Lewis, I'm sure she'll come-up with some ridiculous, half-assed interpretation of the law that won't make sense to anyone except herself...)"
And even I get into the act here a few days ago.The Tales of Tommy Craig:
Also, as I understand it, this is now on the national radar and a writer from Freedom Outpost will be attending tonight's Newton GOP meeting in downtown Covington.- Another Weekend; another round of bad news for the $1.2 Million Dollar Man:
- The Citizen finds out that levels have been intentionally left low so as to show more need for the proposed Bear Creek Reservoir. Somebody's got some 'splainin' to do.
- The Covington News also had a story on Craig.
- And a group of citizens wrote up a great plan for a Better and Stronger Newton Co. Covered the county attorney stuff, but then a whole lot more as well.
Never a dull moment around these parts...
