Wednesday, September 28, 2005

On the matter of Richard Fields

For those of you who don't know, Richard Fields, attorney AND sitting member of the SCDP Executive Committee, has chosen to provide pro bono assistance to defeated Republican Senate candidate, Terry Roland. Roland has challenged the District 29 election, won by the large number of 13 votes by Ophelia Ford.

Rightly so, this has triggered an ouster motion by committeeman Del Gill (D-85). A procedure for due process has been recommended to SCDP Chair Matt Kuhn, who will then consider whether to use it.

Let us remember that the issue is THIS: Richard Fields took an oath of loyalty to the Democratic Party essentially stating that whatever he has done in the past, in the future, he will agree to support our party's nominees REGARDLESS of circumstance. He is held to an even higher standard as a member of that Party's Board of Directors, the ExecCom, in accordance with the Bylaws.

In the final analysis, I suspect he will be given three options: 1) stop assisting Terry Roland, 2) if he refuses, he will be asked to resign his seat, 3) if he refuses that as well, a vote will be held by the ExecCom to determine whether he will be stripped of his seat, which they have every right to do.

What Mr. Fields does as a private citizen is one thing; however, he cannot take action against a nominee of the Party on whose board of directors he currently sits.

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