Editor:
The Carroll County Republican Central Committee met May 28. I was on vacation and unable to attend but have learned that the majority in control of the Committee has decided to rewrite our bylaws to more easily remove members from the committee if they don't comply with the mandates of the majority. Chairman Dave Jones, Vice Chair Larry Helminiak, Secretary Matt Helminiak, Treasurer Don Hoffman and Karen Leatherwood know that minority members believe the committee has acted inappropriately in its responsibilities, and its legal and monetary affairs.
The majority members are the same individuals who showed no respect for what the committee unanimously agreed to when developing our process for filling open legislative seats. When our unanimously agreed upon procedures, our Bylaws and Roberts' Rules of Order, became inconvenient the majority threw them out and replaced them with a simple "majority rules" attitude.
This set an unsavory precedence.
Now, despite the fact that we had already created a Bylaws Committee in December, they have disbanded that committee to create a new one, absent any of the minority members. Creating a new set of rules which, if violated, are grounds for being removed from the Central Committee will allow the majority to manipulate the membership of the CCRCC, forcing off those less compliant and replacing us with more compliant members, in full disregard of election results.
Remember your K-12 education about why our government is designed the way it is? To protect the rights of the minority from an abusive majority. Our government was created as a republic because in a democracy the majority rules and can crush the minority if it wishes. In a republic, however, laws created through a legitimate process rule. This is designed to protect the minority from abuse by the majority.
Central committees aren't governing bodies but promote candidates and have a constitutional role in selecting legislators. So, we should abide by our "laws" which are our Bylaws and Roberts Rules, which are meant to govern our behavior. The Republican Central Committee majority has ignored these at every turn.
For the CCRCC to manipulate the rules and processes, yet again, to exert control is an authoritarian use of power and degrades the committee.
Don't we see enough of this at state and federal levels? Now this is how local Party officials govern their affairs?
Republican voters should be wary.
Kathy Fuller
Sykesville
The author is a member of the Carroll County Republican Central Committee.
