To the Editor:
The hypocrisy and blatant double-standard of Democrat party bosses was on full display recently. They applied a liberal standard to a Democrat challenge to petitions filed by voters to put a tax cut referendum on the ballot, but a very strict standard to a challenge filed by Republicans to another set of petitions. At least their hypocrisy was public, obvious and open. That’s the best one can say about it.
In challenging a Republican tax cut referendum, objections were filed by Democrat party bosses. The Electoral Board immediately went to a full binder check, a process by which the County Clerk’s staff scrutinizes each and every signature on each and every petition. The Electoral Board did this full binder check despite the fact that only a fraction of the signatures were actually objected to. Fortunately for democracy, the Democrat State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons and the Democrat Circuit Clerk (coincidentally also the Democrat Party Chairman) Mark Von Nida recused themselves and an Electoral Board was appointed. This Electoral Board had a conscience- one Republican.
Despite accepting all of the challenges to signatures from the binder check and all of the challenges from the objections filed by the Democrat objectors, the objection to the petitions was denied. But only after Republicans had to defend against both the binder check done by the Democrat County Clerk and the objections filed by the objectors. But what is good for the Republican goose is apparently not good for the Democrat gander.
A week later, Republicans filed an objection to a second set of nominating petitions filed against Republican County Board candidate Don Moore of Troy. This time party bosses Gibbons and Von Nida decided to stay on the Electoral Board. Along with Democrat County Clerk Debbie Mendoza, the second Electoral Board was comprised of three Democrats- and no conscience.
This second electoral Board also decided to conduct a full binder check. That check showed the petitions were insufficient. The Board asked their Democrat attorney if the binder check should be accepted. He agreed. But Democrat hypocrisy was lurking like a political tumor.
The second conscienceless Electoral Board ruled that the binder check should be limited to the objections filed by Republicans. This was the exact opposite ruling made in the case of Democrat objection just two weeks previously. The second Board overruled the Republican objections by applying the exact opposite logic applied to the tax cut referendum petitions.
What is even more amazing is that Democrat Mendoza was on both Boards. She voted to apply a very liberal standard to a Democrat challenge and then voted to apply an opposite and very stringent standard to a Republican challenge. Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds as far as Democrat party bosses are concerned.
What is on full, unashamed public display here is the hypocrisy and blatant double standard of Democrat “ethics” in Madison County.
Democrat party bosses believe it is a crime to pay someone else’s taxes but it is OK to purchase tens of millions of dollars of long range bonds outside of legal guidelines. It is OK to have the County purchasing agent, appointed by Democrat Alan Dunstan, to accept contributions to Dunstan’s campaign from County vendors, but it is heresy for defrauded taxpayers to try to recover the millions stolen from them by Democrat Fred Bathon and his cronies.
Democrat party bosses' hypocrisy is unashamed and boundless.
Voters can do something about this hypocrisy in November.
Don Weber
Edwardsville