The Lackawanna County Democratic Party Machine escalated its war on democracy last week with \u201cletterbombs\u201d addressed to lifelong Democrats who dared to exercise their Constitutional rights as Americans.<\/p>\n
Via registered letters, Machine Executive Committee Chairman Chris Patrick notified<\/a> 76 duly elected committee members that they are disqualified from serving because they supported independent candidates in recent elections. These electoral infidels didn\u2019t toe the party line, so Patrick plots to cut them off at the knees.<\/p>\n The parting shot is a low-brow final bow from a party chairman whose reign of error was pocked with clumsy, self-owning cronyism that inspired an insurgency to dismantle the Machine from the inside. \u201cFired\u201d over his habit of playing with matches, Patrick seems determined to burn the house down on his way out.<\/p>\n Patrick and the Machine kindled this conflagration last year when they installed Brenda Sacco to replace departed Commissioner Matt McGloin and neuter<\/a> rebellious Commissioner Bill Gaughan. Sacco was in office long enough to settle some old Machine scores, but had no interest in running<\/a> for the seat in a special election that happened despite the Machine\u2019s court fight to keep meddling voters out of the equation.<\/p>\n The Machine nominated now-Commissioner Chairman Thom Welby<\/a>, who handily beat former Democrat Michael Cappellini, one of a handful of Dems who ran as independents in defiance of the Machine. All lost. Patrick now contends that any Democrat who supported independents is ineligible to serve on the committee and will not be seated when the party reorganizes on July 7th.<\/p>\n The Machine\u2019s antiquated by-laws seem to back Patrick\u2019s undemocratic attack on duly elected Democrats and the voters who filled their ovals. Said by-laws apparently give him the authority to bar the reformers, but his decision to weaponize them is as morally and ethically bankrupt as the Machine\u2019s failed coup attempt on Gaughan.<\/p>\n Patrick\u2019s latest selfish stunt backfired spectacularly. Among the recipients of Patrick\u2019s letter was sitting Democratic state Rep. Kyle Donahue, who called on state Democratic Party Chairman and former state Auditor Gen. Eugene DePasquale to intervene.<\/p>\n DePasquale has a Scranton-specific history of outing things that don\u2019t add up. Neither he nor his party needs this family drama right now.<\/p>\n Neither does state Sen. Marty Flynn, who raced to disavow Patrick\u2019s attack on antisocial media.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the record, I DO NOT condone, support or agree with Lackawanna County Democratic Committee Chairman removing committee people for signing independent candidates petitions,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI have family and friends and coworkers who are being targeted and right now is the time to row in the same direction not sow division! Furthermore, I also REFUSE to support a Chairperson candidate that was a REGISTERED REPUBLICAN after January 6 and now wants to run OUR party!\u201d<\/p>\n Word to the wise: Any statement that begins with \u201cfurthermore\u201d is almost always better left unsaid.<\/p>\n The REGISTERED REPUBLICAN Marty referred to is Lexie Kelly, an elected committeewoman for Newton Twp. and the reformers\u2019 favorite to replace Patrick as chair. Kelly co-founded\u00a0 Abington Democrats<\/a>, which became the cradle of the current insurgency. Kelly (no relation to this scribbler) told me Thursday that like many young Americans, she originally registered with her parents\u2019 party and never thought to change it. She was registered as a Republican, but voted for Democrats and volunteered in high-profile Democratic campaigns, including Hillary Clinton\u2019s failed bid for the presidency.<\/p>\n Ironically, Kelly said she and her husband Tim, a Democrat, were advised not to change her registration by former Democratic state senator and short-term federal inmate Bob Mellow. The couple was starting a foundation in memory of their late son, Timmy, who was 5 years old when he died of brain cancer in May 2003. Mellow said a \u201cbipartisan\u201d couple would be more successful soliciting donations from both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n Kelly said she changed her registration to Democrat after the Jan. 6 domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol when she renewed her driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n \u201cMarty keeps trying so hard to tie me to January 6, and it\u2019s just ridiculous,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n