CHICAGO – Several Democrats who had run for Republican ward committeeman in Chicago shut down the organizational meeting of the Chicago Republican Party Wednesday night. They gathered in the room in which the meeting was to take place and refused to leave.
Among the protesters were a number of the 13 committeemen who had been barred from participation in the party because of a history of voting in Democratic primaries. The ousted committeemen had been notified of their dismissal Tuesday.
"We asked the protesters to leave and they refused. The owner of the restaurant also asked them to leave, but they yelled that she was a racist for wanting them out, so she backed down," said Chris Cleveland, Chairman of the Chicago Republican Party.
"We had anticipated a problem and hired off-duty police officers to handle security, but they couldn't act unless the owner was willing to sign a criminal complaint. After the accusation of racism, she said she couldn't do anything for fear of having her restaurant look bad."
Cleveland announced the cancellation of the meeting shortly thereafter. "Per our bylaws, we are prohibited from conducting an organizational meeting with non-committeemen in the room," said Cleveland.
The Chicago GOP meeting was to take place shortly before the bi-annual Convention of the Cook County Republican Party in the same location. After Cleveland announced the cancellation, several of the protesters left, and the Cook County meeting was able to proceed.
The Chicago GOP meeting is expected to be rescheduled for the near future.
What are you talking about? After your illegal action got shut down, all of these duly elected committeemen attended the County meeting, were admitted in the roll call by Aaron Del Mar and had their votes for chairman counted.
The participation of the challenged committeemen in the County meeting is another indication of Aaron Del Mar’s lack of attention to details. After Del Mar had countersigned a letter dismissing thirteen ward committeemen from Chicago, he permitted some of the same persons to participate in the county meeting because he did know who was attending the convention and he did not recognize city committeemen who were legitimate and those who were challenged. Long story short, Del Mar is not a competent or well organized individual.
Another issue was that Del Mar always allows hangers on and non-committeemen to wander around during meetings. Some of the people arguing with the restaurant owner yesterday had no official standing or connection to the county convention whatsoever.
The new Cook County chairman also has a history of voting in Democratic primaries until 2010. How is this not a double standard?
I was not able to attend this meeting but I’m sorry I missed it. I may be one of those “hanger ons or non committeemen.” I like to consider myself as an “interested party.”
These two groups of Chicago and Cook County Reoublicans in m opinion have great potential to help promote change, hopefully promoting a conservative agenda of less taxes, less spending, less regulation, and less borrowing. I wish the focus was in that rather then infighting.
I’ll plan to attend next meeting again as an INTERESTED PARTY.
In order to be wholly consistent, Aaron Del Mar ought to immediately resign as the Palatine Township Republican Committeeman since his past support of Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008 violates the same amended by-law that he utilized to remove the thirteen Chicago committeemen.
It is one thing to attend a political meeting as a guest or a spectator. It is another thing to interrupt such a meeting or to interfere by trying to actively participate in the proceedings when you are not a committee member.
The former chairman and the sergeant at arms failed to maintain order at several recent central committee meetings.
Some of the recent controversy was not caused by committeemen, but was provoked by outsiders who ought not to have been in attendance given their bad behavior.