Cowlitz County GOP Chair Gary Schimmel should resign.

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Earlier, I called for the resignation of Clark County GOP Ryan Hart for his misguided endorsement of Jaime Herrera.

It wasn't because, for whatever the reason that God only knows, Hart endorsed a clueless empty suit not qualified to be elected 8th Grade Class President. I would have made the same demand if he had endorsed ANYONE.

In that earlier post, demanding Hart's resignation, I wrote:

It has gone so far as to cause an otherwise honorable county chair to make an endorsement in a primary, something completely forbidden and unacceptable... something that even the democrats won't do. And in this or any other case, any county chair endorsing in an open primary under any circumstance should resign from their position as county chair.

My concern was that this unacceptable form of favoritism would, at some point, result in overt favoritism for or against a candidate. And that favoritism is not something a party chair may engage in without furthering the concept that our efforts and processes are corrupted by insiders and deals.

And such is the case with Cowlitz County GOP Chair Gary Schimmel.

A few days ago, one of the candidates for the 18th District House seat being vacated by Herrera, apparently sent out a press release, accurately reinforcing the fact of her fund raising superiority, having raised far more over the past 60 days or so she has been running than any other candidate.

Ryan Hart sent the release out at the candidate's request to the Clark County GOP List.

Gary Schimmel did not.

As I stated, I do make subjective choices of which statements I forward on. The statement in question is not appropriate in my opinion. I know money is important but it tinged on disparaging fellow Republicans which we are wanting to avoid in Cowlitz County.

HHhmmm.

That's a crock, of course. There was nothing within the press release remotely disparaging to any other candidate, save the obvious fact that they don't have a clue about fundraising. The fact is that Schimmel is protecting Shannon Barnett, and here's why I made that conclusion:

So what is this?

It's part of a screen capture of Barnett's web site, listing some of his few endorsements.

Clearly, the basis for Schimmel's objection to sending out the press release is that he does not want to make his guy look pathetic in comparison to other candidates.

And this is PRECISELY the kind of thing that can happen with county officers endorsing in primaries.

And for those excusing the act as these people are somehow capable of separating their official position from their endorsements... well, I've got to say that in this instance, how'd that work out?

Obviously, political corruption runs rampant in the Cowlitz GOP.

It is VITAL that party officers avoid even the APPEARANCE of favoritism. In this instance, the lame actions of the Cowlitz GOP Chair should serve as a warning of both a lack of accountability and integrity when party officers violate the conditions of their office and wrongly endorse candidates in a primary.

This is precisely the reason why that should never happen.

And particularly those who use their county mechanisms to overtly support those candidates they have endorsed.

And as a result, I renew my call on both Ryan Hart and now Gary Schimmel to resign. Anything less is to hang an unnecessary cloud over the process, a cloud that casts aspersions on the entirety of the system and those laboring under the illusion that this is somehow "fair," when those in charge are manipulating the outcomes... much like, come to think of it, happened when Herrera somehow got appointed.
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