(Updated 1/24)
I have been meaning to post about this since Thursday, but I was sick (again!) this weekend and just didn’t get around to it. However, since I was quoted in this morning’s Free Press quite extensively, I figured I would write up a post.
As you other Burlington area political junkies already know, last Thursday, Loyal Ploof, former Progressive, former Green, former independent Mayoral candidate, became a Republican and left the caucus with our nomination for City Councilor in Ward 3.
As John Briggs in the Free Press reported this morning, my thoughts were that it was like watching a car accident – “really shocking to have that happen in front of you. You want to stop it, but you can’t. “
Thankfully, he also printed my backpedaling quote, “I don’t want to say he’s as bad as a car accident, but I can guarantee you the people who identify themselves as Republicans aren’t going to look at him as someone who represents their views.”
Here are my thoughts about this whole debacle.
If Loyal Ploof has really decided that he is a Republican, as he says in the article, then he should have stood up and addressed the caucus.
I fully understand the nature of political parties and the fact that there is a broad spectrum of views. All are welcome and I do not have the right to decide who is and who isn’t Republican enough.
When I was Party Chair, I was interested in party-building and reaching out to new people. Even within the ranks of long-time Republican activists, there was a broad range of views, some of which even conflict with some of my own.
I welcomed Libertarians Jeremy and Heavenly Ryan to all of our monthly meetings and found common ground with them. I would have gladly welcomed Loyal Ploof, who volunteered on one of my City Council campaigns. There is common ground there, with Loyal. I do not dispute that.
My problem is with how the situation transpired. Looking around the room, I saw the expressions of other people, who have been with the party for years, wondering what this guy was doing.
As I said, he should have addressed the caucus. He should have known that people would be wondering what he was doing there.
Party Secretary Kevin Ryan was quoted in the story saying, “I hope the party is going to be open-minded and welcome new people.” If this was Ryan’s goal, he, as the person chairing the meeting in the absence of the Chair and Vice-Chair, should have invited Ploof to address the caucus.
Of course, he also could have told others that Ploof was coming, which I have reason to believe he did know ahead of time, contrary to what the article says.
There was one procedural objection to Ploof’s coup. Our by-laws state that a member of another party cannot be on our committee. One of Ploof’s supporters, Sean Starfighter, is a Green Party member, appearing on this March’s ballot as a Green.
Ryan dismissed the procedural concern, saying that we would deal with that later.
If people are truly seeking to work together, bind-siding those you hope to work with is not the best way to form that alliance. The way to build a group is through communication.
Instead, Republicans are left wondering what the motivation is behind Ploof’s move. Is he using the Party for money? Is this just to spite the Progressives, as suggested at BurlingtonPol? Or is Ploof really interested in fiscal conservatism?
Well, we don’t know because he never addressed the caucus. All we know is that he categorized the elected Republican City Councilor and State Representative Kurt Wright as being “one of those real strong right-wingers.” Unfortunately for Ploof, many of the people in the Party he now calls home see Wright as rather moderate.
This is a wake-up call to the Burlingtonians who identify themselves as Republicans. Any three people can come in off the street, declare themselves Republicans, and one can walk out our city council nominee, if there are no Republicans from that ward present.
This also could have happened in wards 1, 2, and 6, all of which had no other members present, and even in my ward 5, which had only me present.
It only takes three people to make a ward caucus and elect a nominee. If people do not show up at the caucus to represent the wards, anyone can walk out of there with the nomination. Not only does this make a mockery of our party, but it also hurts fund raising efforts.
If the Burlington Republican committee is going to have any relevance in the future, they need to get more people to come and we need to show up.
Update: In yesterday’s Free Press, Loyal announced that he is no longer running for City Council in Ward 3. Also, in the comments of this post, it was revealed that Sean Starfighter is not running as a Green, as a result of the party cross-over incident.
January 22nd, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Charity,
I have to say that when I read the article at 5:00 this morning, coffee came shooting out of my nose. I have read more about this since this morning, and still cannot believe what transpired. Loyal is on the left side of the political spectrum, and his sudden turn to the right to me is nothing but a way to get his name on the ballot. From how it appears, this is the only way it would happen.
Loyal’s comments about those in the party do not seem like a good way to gain support for his candidacy. He has changed parties and needs support. Resorting to name calling is simply hysterical.
I know Loyal from coaching baseball in the Old North End, and think he is a decent guy, but now I think he has gone off of his rocker. No, this is not because he switched parties as that does happen. What blows my mind is that Loyal shoots from the left side, and at time the far left side. Changing to a party that over the years he has criticized seems to be a publicity stunt, or just a misguided way of holding on to a flegling political career.
January 23rd, 2007 at 3:41 am
Kevin Ryan’s dismissal of the procedural concern should be a major concern for Republicans. Vermont law governing political parties makes it clear that members of another party cannot vote or hold dual membership within two different political parties or nominating caucuses.
The by-laws of the Republican City Committe were not only broken, Vermont law was broken as well.
Kevin Ryan should have been aware of this as should have Sean Starfighter. Both should be held accountable.
Sean Starfighter has lost the endorsement of the Burlington Greens do to this and is dropping out of the race.
I believe Sean did the right thing by dropping out of the race.
The Greens will be running Hillary Weeks in Ward 3 instead.
-Owen Mulligan,
Executive Director
Burlington Greens
January 23rd, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Thanks for the update, Owen. I did get your message, but I didn’t get around to posting this.
January 24th, 2007 at 1:00 am
Loyal is a menace. His campaign style is solely to run against those he doesn’t like. In this most recent case, Tim Ashe. He did it in his run for mayor and last Nov. for state rep as a Prog. He developed a grudge in the past against his man Bernie (who must have looked at him wrong) and ever since has supported Greg Parke. He was a huge Clavelle supporter until Clavelle “did something unforgiveable” to him (won’t say what) then Loyal went and supported Kevin Curley as his second choice.
At the very least, this cheesy action reinforces how important caucus meetings are for locals to attend – if only to keep Loyal off the ballot.
February 7th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
I was only made aware that I would be chairing the Republican Caucus the evening before, when Chair Fred Osier was called away suddenly. At that time, I had not even seen a copy of the meeting agenda.
Sean had been invited to our meeting, as had Loyal Ploof, on many occasions, but I had only been told he would be attending that morning.
The Ward Three Caucus, over which I had no authority and which is open to any voter from that Ward who attends the Caucus, regardless of membership in the Republican Party (provided they did not vote in another), nominated Loyal Ploof. The three votes for Loyal were Loyal, Sean Starfighter and Tim Wood, a member of the committee who was particularly active in the Tarrant Campaign.
Sean Starfighter had informed me that he had resigned any afiliation with the Green Party prior to that meeting and was not affiliated with any party. When a question arose regarding this from Republican Gene Shaver, he was told Sean was not a Green, and if it was discovered at a later time this was incorrect, that issue would be dealt with.
No Vermont law or Republican by-law was broken, and no impropiety occured. Sean Starfighter and Loyal Ploof were duly elected as members of the Republican City Committee of Burlington by unanimous agreement of the Caucus and remain so.
I agree with Charity that Loyal should have been asked to address the full committee, however, this was not brought up by either myself, Charity or Alan Sousie, who chaired the remainer of the meeting following his election to Vice-Chair.
Charity’s reasoning to beleive that I had foreknowledge of these events stems from a conversation I had with City Chair Fred Osier clarifying whether non-committee members would be permitted to vote for candidate nominees, which took place prior to the Caucus. A rule allowing this was adopted in Novmber of 2005.
It should be stated that Owen Mulligan is not authorized to represent the Burlington Green Party in any way, which has been confirmed with The Green Party City Chairman Steve Ekberg.
Kevin Ryan
Secretary, Burlington Republican City Committee