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But the event was the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s annual election endorsements where committee members cast their votes to decide which candidates the party should endorse in the upcoming May primary election.
The annual event draws some of the region’s most powerful committee powerhouses and longest reigning political families. But though the event is steeped in tradition, some have begun to wonder if the endorsement process should be changed.
“The committee loves the process but a lot of the voters think we’re out of date,” said Nancy Patton Mills, chair of the ACDC. “What we want to do is keep the Democratic party relevant.”
“I think it’s important for the voters,” says Sierra Parm, a new committee member. “It helps streamline the process for them.”
Outside of the endorsements, candidate tables lined the sidewalk to greet each committee member as they walked through. Volunteers also took the opportunity to collect signatures for election petitions and to campaign for their candidates.
“There are people who believe the endorsement has a lot of credibility, and historically that’s been the case,” said Ola Jackson who was working a table to support judicial candidate Rosemary Crawford.
But times are changing. In recent years, candidates not endorsed by the ACDC have won elections, including now Mayor William Peduto who did not seek the endorsement in 2013.
“I think we should get rid of endorsements,” said Sam Hens-Greco, 14th Ward Democratic Committee chair. “We spend a tremendous amount of money and time on them, and there’s more the party could be doing.”
Attitudes like this are part of the reason the ACDC plans to hold a convention this summer to re-examine the committees bylaws and endorsement process.
“We may make some adjustments, but we won’t be eliminating them,” said Mills. “You can see the committee people love it. Everyone’s having a ball.”
This article appears in Mar 4-10, 2015.
Only old people who want free food enjoy it.
The process needs to change. The vote of each committee representative should reflect the voice of the community.
I’m a member of ACDC and where I think the process works is when the candidates come out and speak to the local committees, it helps people get to know the candidates better, particularly for offices where candidates don’t get much publication, particularly judges. I think the entire street fair is pretty annoying, however, since I prefer to just get in and get out without wading through a sea of staffers and volunteers. If candidates themselves want to have a handshake line and speak with committee members on their way to the ballot box, that’s fine, but I could do without the circus atmosphere.
Interesting. Each Committee member is elected to represent a district, the precinct in which s/he votes – to represent the voters to the Committee and the Committee to the voters and any potential voters. Therefore, it behooves each Committee member to know for whom to vote in the endorsement prior to arriving. No swag or edibles should be necessary to sway a vote.
It is further interesting that in Pennsylvania we grant (and the public pays for) primaries only to the Democratic and Republican Parties, not to other parties (Green Party, Libertarian Party, Constitution Party, e.g.) or political bodies (Independents, e.g.), and only to vote for one’s own party’s candidates. The endorsement vote might be more meaningful were that not the case – if we had open primaries, for instance, in which voters could vote for candidates of any party.
Just interesting. I hope my Committee district will let me know their thoughts on this going forward. As a Committee person, I intend to ask them.
How does the committee determine if a candidate is qualified other than taking their money for the endorsement. Sounds to me like a payoff unless they vet a candidate which appears that they haven’t done. Just check out some of the candidates. Wow.