My Thoughts on the Matthews Censure

I posted the news of Jim Matthews' censure on Monday without any commentary. I let the words of Bob Kerns speak for themselve. Today, I'd like to give my opinion of the resolution (and as I have observed the happenings of the past year).

The 2008 election was not a good one for Republicans. Neither was the election of 2004, 2006, and 2007, as we lost both the house and the senate, and the PA house of representatives. Why? We all know the answer.

We have moved, as a party, too far to the left. the general consensus has been "if we act more like them (democrats) we will get elected. This "experiment" hasn't worked.

The problem is, when we do that, we lose our base. Just look at the results of the last election as proof. In Montgomery County, only 31% of all registered Republicans bothered to vote in what was probably the most important election of their lifetime. Not that the democratic base did much better, but their 40% turnout won the election here for Obama and anybody else who rode in on his historic coattails.

In last years election, Republicans won the County Commissioner positions. Jim Matthews then went to say that we needed to form a "more bi-partisan" government"...one that governs more to the center than to the right or left. Unfortunately, the current governing body does, indeed, govern more to the left, as we have passed most of the liberal Hoeffel/Damsker platform since January 8th than we have passed any conservative platform. Jim has essentially turned his back on the Republican party. As a result, we are probably going to have a budget deficit, taxes will probably have to go up and we will probably lose our AAA bond rating that Former Commissioner Tom Ellis worked so hard to obtain and preserve.

Our new county Republican Chairman, Bob Kerns, has worked, since taking office, to try to convince Matthews that he needs to start working with Republicans for good, sound fiscally responsible Republican style governance, as he was elected to do. Jim argues that the people spoke when they elected him and that they asked for a more bi-partisan (liberal) governance. Jim is wrong. The numbers don't lie. Besides, if the people had wanted a more leftist style of government, they would have elected Ruth Damsker and Jim would now be a private citizen of Montgomery County.

Also, most of the rank and file, as I have witnessed, disagrees with Matthews.

I have attended enough fundraisers and events over the past eleven months to have heard, ad nauseum, "what are we going to do about Jim" and "why isn't Bob (Kerns) doing anything about Jim"?

On Monday night, after months of getting nowhere with Jim Matthews, Bob Kerns did something.

Bob drafted a resolution censuring Jim Matthews for basically betraying the will of the voters of Montgomery County. Jim's move to the left has not only hurt the taxpayers of Montgomery County, it has hurt the Republican party as a whole. It has hurt our credibility. It has hurt our "branding" if you will.

It has forced our top Republicans to take a stand that they would have rather not taken (remember, it took months to make this decision).

Bob Kerns did something courageous on Monday night. He started pulling our party back to the right, where it belongs. Bob took a stand against the very thing that has destroyed our party nationwide and caused us to lose elections.

Bob chose to be a real Republican. So did the leadership that unanimously voted to censure Jim Matthews for his transgressions against the party.

I will be eternally grateful to Bob for recognizing that we needed to go back to what made our party what it was, and for taking the proper steps to start returning our party to it's conservative roots.

Today, as I sit here writing this post, I can say, without equivocation, that I am the most proud I have ever been to be a Republican in Montgomery County.

Thanks, Bob, for restoring my faith in the party that I chose to be part of back in 1996.


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MCRC News Release, Vol 1, Issue 2

MONTGOMERY COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN CALLS ON COMMISSIONERS TO HONOR CAMPAIGN PROMISE AND APPEAL BARNES DECISION

Contact: Robert J. Kerns 610-279-9300

June 11, 2008 -- Montgomery County Republican Committee Chairman Robert J. Kerns today urged the County Commissioners to abide by their campaign promises and do everything in their power to keep the world-renowned Barnes Museum in its current location in Lower Merion.

The Commissioners must decide no later than Monday June 16th to appeal an adverse court ruling on the matter. Yesterday a coalition of people known as "the Friends of the Barnes" met with Commissioners Matthews, Castor and Hoeffel to urge them to appeal the ruling. At that meeting, Commissioner Castor, a lawyer, former District Attorney, and Shareholder/Director of the Blue Bell based litigation firm of Elliott, Greenleaf and Siedzikowski presented a legal analysis of the merits of an appeal. Castor concluded that the issue is not "settled law" as it related to the ability of a county government to bring a court action of this type, and further determined that the County could not possibly face any "sanctions" from the court for taking an appeal since Pennsylvania law allows losing parties to appeal without fear of reprisals.

Upon reading a news account of the meeting the commissioners had with Friends of the Barnes, Kerns asked Castor his legal reasoning. Kerns, a lawyer and former county solicitor (who worked with Commissioner Hoeffel) concurred with Castor's conclusions: "It would be a tragedy for the county to lose the Barnes. There is absolutely no down side to the county filing an appeal. Commissioner Castor's legal analysis is right on the money. Every litigant is entitled to an appeal."

In May, a Montgomery County Judge ruled that a county lacked "standing" to bring a court action to try and keep the collection from being moved to Philadelphia. However, that question has not yet been addressed by the state supreme court. The trial judge relied on a court decision from a court lower than the supreme court in making its determination that the county lacked standing. The judge also ruled that the county had a reasonable basis for bringing the suit and that therefore no "sanctions" were warranted.

Concluded Kerns: "All the commissioners are on record saying they would do whatever they could to 'save the Barnes.' Now is the time to step to the plate."


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Bruce Castor's Nominating Speech

Bruce nominates Bob Kerns as our next County Chairman of the Republican Party.

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