Dem central committee overstepped its bounds

Regarding the Charles County Democratic Central Committee (CCDCC) vote to pen a letter to the Charles County Board of Commissioners stating its opposition to the watershed conservation district (WCD): The CCDCC has exceeded its limited mandate.

Our county commissioners are government officials who won the county Democratic Party primary and then went on to win the general election. Elected CCDCC members are party officials elected in the same Democratic primary to carry out a limited set of tasks. They represent the Maryland Democratic Party within the county and perform certain functions set forth in the law. Of note, CCDCC members are not the public’s elected ombudsmen or representatives to our own government.

CCDCC has informed me in writing that, “The WCD is a highly charged issue and the members agreed we should take a stand consistent with the will of the people.” CCDCC Chairman Gilbert Bowling has informed me that there is “nothing wrong with people expressing their opinions to their elected officials and using the elected party leaders to voice their concerns.” Chairman Bowling and the committee has no mechanism to determine “the will of the people.”

They did have a valuable opportunity to encourage members of the public on both sides of the issue to contact their government directly, and they squandered it. If I want to talk to my government, I can pen my own letter. No one elected CCDCC to speak for me.

CCDCC Chairman Gilbert Bowling’s protestation that he wasn’t attacking the commissioners is disingenuous. The letter itself is an attack on Democratic commissioners, and Bowling presided over CCDCC’s fundamentally flawed decision to issue it. Bowling’s motives for allowing this to occur under his watch may be reasonably questioned, especially if he files his candidacy to replace one of the commissioners.

I encourage Democrats to set aside funds they’d otherwise spend on CCDCC’s upcoming Truman-Kennedy dinner and instead donate them directly to trusted local Democratic primary candidates. The central committee only assists those who have won the Democratic primary. Democrats’ dollars are best spent getting their preferred candidates nominated, especially until the CCDCC stops attacking fellow Democrats and gets back on task.