Democrats are beginning to resist the whimsical ways of Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy "Wonder Boy" Zellner. Last Thursday, Michelle Innello, wife of Democratic Elections Commissioner and Party Secretary, Dennis Ward, said she would run for the vacant Third District County Legislature seat, even if she was not selected by the Party or the remaining Democrats on the legislature. Zellner and Ward ran as a team in 2012, and it is doubtful that either would have been elected without the manipulation of committeemen weighted voting engineered by Ward.
Now Democratic Supreme Court judge candidates are openly defying Wonder Boy and holding fund raisers to fuel their campaigns. Seems that Zellner has ordered them not to raise campaign cash until his pal Dennis Ward can declare as a candidate. Once Ward declares, he must resign as Election Commissioner, and he is in no hurry to give up his part time plum which pays six figures plus and comes with a built in bundle of patronage jobs for campaign workers. The issue is also complicated by the way in which New York political parties nominate Supreme Court judges. Judicial candidates are not free to run in party primary elections, but must be selected by judicial convention delegates who are themselves elected in primary elections. This leads to a readily corruptible, party boss driven selection process. The NYU Law School Brennan Center for Law litigated this matter all the way to the US Supreme Court before losing (see http://www.brennancenter.org/press-release/plaintiffs-counsel-supreme-court-decision-lopez-torres-v-nys-board-elections and Lopez Torres v NYS Board of Elections http://www.brennancenter.org/legal-work/lopez-torres-v-nys-board-elections). This year, independent Democrats intend to run non-Zellner judicial delegate slates, raising the distinct possibility that Wonder Boy won't have any puppet delegate votes to trade when he tries to cut cross endorsement deals with Republican Chairman, Nick Langworthy. Furthermore, with five judge slots open and a desire to boost Democratic voter turnout, Governor Cuomo is said to be favoring an open election free-for-all with no cross endorsements of Republicans. It seems that savvy judicial candidates realize they are being suckered by Zellner and placed at a dollar disadvantage to their Republican opponents. This is just one of many examples of the ECDC levers of power being pulled for the personal advantage of a few trough feeders at the expense of electing Democrats.
On another front, even lowly committeemen are trying to force Zellner to comply with the party rules and allow democracy to break out in the Democratic Party.
Now Democratic Supreme Court judge candidates are openly defying Wonder Boy and holding fund raisers to fuel their campaigns. Seems that Zellner has ordered them not to raise campaign cash until his pal Dennis Ward can declare as a candidate. Once Ward declares, he must resign as Election Commissioner, and he is in no hurry to give up his part time plum which pays six figures plus and comes with a built in bundle of patronage jobs for campaign workers. The issue is also complicated by the way in which New York political parties nominate Supreme Court judges. Judicial candidates are not free to run in party primary elections, but must be selected by judicial convention delegates who are themselves elected in primary elections. This leads to a readily corruptible, party boss driven selection process. The NYU Law School Brennan Center for Law litigated this matter all the way to the US Supreme Court before losing (see http://www.brennancenter.org/press-release/plaintiffs-counsel-supreme-court-decision-lopez-torres-v-nys-board-elections and Lopez Torres v NYS Board of Elections http://www.brennancenter.org/legal-work/lopez-torres-v-nys-board-elections). This year, independent Democrats intend to run non-Zellner judicial delegate slates, raising the distinct possibility that Wonder Boy won't have any puppet delegate votes to trade when he tries to cut cross endorsement deals with Republican Chairman, Nick Langworthy. Furthermore, with five judge slots open and a desire to boost Democratic voter turnout, Governor Cuomo is said to be favoring an open election free-for-all with no cross endorsements of Republicans. It seems that savvy judicial candidates realize they are being suckered by Zellner and placed at a dollar disadvantage to their Republican opponents. This is just one of many examples of the ECDC levers of power being pulled for the personal advantage of a few trough feeders at the expense of electing Democrats.
On another front, even lowly committeemen are trying to force Zellner to comply with the party rules and allow democracy to break out in the Democratic Party.
An even bigger problem is brewing. Rank and file Democrats have become so disenchanted with Wonder Boy's antics that his early removal as Chairman is being actively discussed. A draft petition calling for rules changes and election of new officers has been circulating. If 650 committee members sign such a petition, they can force a meeting and a vote for party reform.
