LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — A growing divide within the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee is escalating after 76 elected committee members received letters notifying them that they are no longer eligible to serve because they supported independent candidates in recent elections.
Outgoing Democratic Committee Chairman Chris Patrick sent the letters citing a provision in the county party’s bylaws that prohibits committee members from supporting candidates who run against the Democratic Party’s officially endorsed nominees.
The move affects more than 23% of the county committee’s 326 elected seats and has prompted a swift response from a newly formed group calling itself the Lackawanna United Democrats, which announced Thursday it plans to take legal action against the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee and Patrick. The group also says it will file an ethics complaint with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and newly elected state Democratic Chairman Eugene DePasquale.
The dispute stems from several high-profile races last year, when longtime Democrats, including Michael Cappellini, Colleen Eagen Gerrity, Gerald Smurl and Gene Barrett, ran as independents after not receiving the party’s endorsement. Although all four ultimately lost, many Democratic committee members publicly supported their campaigns.
Cappellini, who ran as an independent in the special election for Lackawanna County commissioner after not receiving the Democratic nomination, said he believes the letters silence both committee members and the voters who elected them.
“These letters are taking away the voices of thousands of people and taking away the opportunity for duly elected committee people to make their voices heard,” Cappellini said.
William “Trip” O’Malley, an elected committee member who also received a letter, said he was blindsided when it arrived.
“It was completely unexpected. When I got my letter in the mail, I thought it was going to be an announcement for the meeting. Instead, it was that I’m ineligible for the meeting,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley believes removing elected committee members goes against the party’s stated values.
“We want to be the party of inclusion, and what they’re doing is excluding a lot of really good Democrats who have been putting a lot of time and effort into helping Democrats get elected at all levels of government, and they’re just casting us aside,” he said.
State Representative Kyle Donahue was also among those who received letters. He questioned whether the bylaws are being enforced consistently, noting he previously ran as an independent candidate for Scranton mayor while remaining a committee member. Donahue also argued the committee has not followed its own timetable for reorganizing after the primary election and has called for the bylaws, which date back to the 1990s, to be rewritten.
Patrick defended the decision, saying his responsibility as chairman is to enforce the party’s governing rules.
“Our bylaws are our laws. That’s all we have. If people violate those bylaws and me as the chairman do not hold them responsible for that, then what do we have? We have chaos,” Patrick said.
Patrick said some members violated the bylaw multiple times and emphasized the action “is not personal,” noting that some of those receiving letters have been longtime supporters. He said members will have an opportunity to appeal before the committee’s Executive Committee.
In a news release announcing legal action, candidate for Chair of the Lackawanna County Democratic Party Lexie Kelly accused current party leadership of attempting to overturn the results of the recent committee elections.
“This is bigger than a disagreement over party politics. This is about whether the votes of Democrats in Lackawanna County matter,” Kelly said.
Kelly said the group intends to pursue legal and administrative action to protect what it says are the rights of duly elected committee members.
“We are prepared to fight this all the way to Harrisburg and beyond,” Kelly said.
The group’s ethics complaint asks the Pennsylvania Democratic Party to investigate whether county leadership’s actions violate party rules and standards of ethical governance.
The county bylaws do prohibit committee members from supporting candidates who oppose Democratic nominees. However, the bylaws also outline a process for removal that includes a complaint, a hearing before the County Executive Committee and a majority vote before a member can be removed. Those challenging the letters argue that process has not yet been completed, an issue that could become central if the dispute proceeds in court.
The Lackawanna County Democratic Committee has not publicly responded to the announced legal action beyond Patrick’s previous statements defending enforcement of the party’s bylaws.