Why Wild’s employee shouldn’t be on an election panel
Every facet of our election system is under intense scrutiny, as it should be.
Every decision must be made with accountability in mind. Potential conflicts of interest must be avoided at all costs. There can be no doors left open for anyone to raise questions about partisan gamesmanship.
That’s why it was important for Northampton County Council to do what it did last week — not appoint a staff member of Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild to the county election commission.
In a bipartisan vote, council on Thursday tabled the nomination of Selina Winchester, a Democrat from Easton. She withdrew from consideration on Friday, after Wild asked her to.
“Rep. Wild was not aware of any member of her staff applying for an appointment to the Northampton election commission, and the congresswoman firmly believes election commissions should be comprised of qualified, unbiased individuals without any personal ties to candidates,” spokesperson Maddie McComb said.
Council members said Thursday they did not doubt Winchester’s qualifications. But several expressed concerns about public perception and the potential for conflict-of-interest concerns to be raised if the election commission was called on to make decisions that affect a close race — particularly Wild’s race.
Wild will be on the ballot this year as she seeks reelection.
“I don’t think it would be proper for someone who is an employee of someone who is on the ballot to potentially be adjudicating an outcome that could affect their boss,” said Councilman John Cusick, a Republican.
What’s unfortunate is that Winchester, who is Black, was the only person of color among the nominees for the five commission seats. The other four nominees were confirmed.
“We’re kicking off the only one that is diverse,” said Kerry Myers, council’s vice president and its lone Black member.
“There’s enough going on in this country right now to stop people like me from voting. And now, here we go, trying to kick somebody off who happens to be of my background,” he said.
Diversity is a key consideration. When County Executive Lamont McClure nominates someone else to take the spot he had envisioned for Winchester, he should consider that.
The executive nominates members from five-person lists provided by the county’s Democratic and Republican parties. Based on the county’s current political composition, three Democrats are to be nominated and two Republicans.
McClure told me Winchester was among the top three qualified Democratic candidates on the list he was given. And she would have helped to diversify the commission.
“We just need to have more African Americans and Latinos participating in all levels of our government,” he said.
He said he is waiting on Democratic Party Chairman Matt Munsey to submit more names.
“We’re going to find a qualified person, irrespective of what their race and ethnicity is,” McClure said.
Munsey told me Monday he recognizes now that it was a mistake to suggest Winchester, because of public perception in “this hyper-political environment.”
“I wouldn’t want people to distrust anything about the process,” he said.
He told me he sought people with a knowledge and interest in government and elections, and that Winchester was a good fit.
He said that as he sends more names to McClure, he will attempt to provide “a diverse slate of options.”
I attempted to reach Winchester for comment through Wild’s office on Monday but did not hear back. She did not attend Thursday’s council meeting.
The election commission sets policies about how elections are conducted, including what voting systems are used. It could be called on to decide controversial issues such as whether mail ballots should be disqualified if they are missing dates or signatures.
In most counties, the county commissioners double as the election board, McClure noted. He said members recuse themselves in situations where there could be a conflict of interest. He said Winchester could have done the same.
Winchester’s position as a congressional staff member would not have disqualified her.
Northampton County’s home rule charter prohibits only candidates, elected officials or officers in political parties from being on the election commission.
Councilman Ron Heckman said council’s considerations needed to extend beyond the law, though.
“There’s the law and then there’s procedure and how you should do things,” he said. “People don’t trust our institutions. They don’t trust government. They don’t trust elections. And that’s both sides of the aisle.”
He said more care should be taken in who is nominated in the future.
“The optics are important,” said Heckman, a Democrat. “I really think this is bad optically.”
It was bad. And, thankfully, the board saw that and pulled back.