Opinion
Was The Inquirer’s Rejection Of Winder/Koch Detrimental To The Democratic Party?
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The truth or lack thereof of this Democratic Committee Person’s claim that the Inquirer’s unwillingness to endorse her preferred candidates for Montgomery County Commissioner (Jamila Winder and Kimberly Koch) is “to the Democratic Party’s detriment” would depend entirely on how you define the Democratic Party.
Suppose you accept that the Democratic Party is whatever the leadership of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee (MCDC) says it is. In that case, it follows that the Inquirer’s endorsement of Neil Makhija and Noah Marlier is detrimental to the Democratic Party.
On the other hand, there’s an argument to be made that the Inquirer’s rejection of Winder/Koch is the best thing that ever happened to the Montgomery County Democratic Party, which in the view of some, is comprised of more than just the leadership of MCDC.
Let’s re-examine the origins of the Winder/Koch Slate.
In February, the Inquirer reported that “the party told Danielle Duckett, policy director for State Rep. Chris Rabb, that she’d be appointed to replace [Val] Arkoosh, according to three people familiar with the matter.”
And then, all of a sudden, Duckett didn’t replace Arkoosh. Instead of Duckett, Jamila Winder was recommended by MCDC to be Arkoosh’s replacement, and the Court of Common Pleas accepted the committee’s recommendation.
So Winder attended the MCDC’s endorsement convention in February as a “sitting commissioner.”
Have you heard the official explanation from MCDC’s Leadership as to why they pulled the recommendation/appointment from Duckett and gave it to Winder? I haven’t.
The Inquirer wrote, “The decision came after officials learned Duckett had filed for bankruptcy more than 20 years ago when she was a single mother of two. She’d been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had unpaid medical bills.”
In their February article, the Inquirer noted, “Duckett’s allies say her association with Rabb — a progressive Philadelphia lawmaker who’s clashed with the influential Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council — appears to have been a factor in the rescinding. The trades are a major campaign donor and political player in state and regional politics.”
Last week, The Inky suggested another “possibility” as to why MCDC’s Blue Ribbon Screening Panel decided to dump Duckett in favor of Winder.
When Duckett and her fellow Democrats took over the Lower Gwynedd Board of Supervisors, they didn’t fire the township’s solicitors in favor of the firm preferred by MCDC’s leadership.
According to the Inquirer – MCDC Chair Jason Salus said the decision not to select Duckett had nothing to do with the solicitor’s appointment. He noted that Duckett had risen to become vice chair of the county party “less than three years after becoming township supervisor.”
“Any such connection is spurious speculation, and those who advance that unfounded idea are intentionally damaging Ms. Winder’s and our Screening Committee’s reputation.”
Fine, but (Apologies for being repetitive) have you heard the official explanation from MCDC Leadership as to why they pulled the recommendation/appointment from Duckett and gave it to Winder? I haven’t.
At the convention, rank-and-file committee members endorsed Winder but then rebuked leadership by voting for an “Open Primary” for the second commissioner’s position.
And then Winder promptly rebuked the majority of the committee members by forming a “slate,” which included herself and Kimberly Koch.
No doubt, in the eyes of this committee person and MCDC leadership, Koch passed the “Good Democrat Litmus Test.” After accepting a large contribution from the preferred law firm (nothing illegal about that, mind you). And then Koch and the Good Democrats, who had just taken over the Whitpain Board of Supervisors, appointed “the right law firm” as their solicitors.
If you think that’s how it’s supposed to work, and you think what’s good for MCDC’s Leadership is what’s good for the Democratic Party, then vote for the Winder/Koch Slate.
Otherwise, there are three alternatives running in the Democratic Primary who you might want to consider instead.
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