CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Given the option of doing things the hard or easy way, it seems the state Republican Executive Committee prefers difficulty.
For three long years, the state GOP insisted upon following the course of most resistance by effectively trying to eliminate any local control of the Wood County Executive Committee.
To make an extremely long — and embarrassing to the state committee — story shorter, the bottom line is that the state party was unhappy because Wood Chair Rob Cornelius and the local committee actually exercised some independence and attempted some county input into the Wood party organization without State Party Chair Melody Potter’s approval.
In response, Potter arbitrarily removed Cornelius. Current House of Delegates member Roger Conley was installed in Cornelius’ place and, in effect, served as county chair for the ensuing three years.
When Conley took over, Cornelius went to court. He sued Potter and Secretary of State Mac Warner (who keeps party records and, in this case, kept them how Potter wanted him to).
Potter supporters always maintained — during her tenure as state chair before and after the “removal” of Cornelius — that the state committee could pass and enforce “rules” contrary to state law.
Potter adversaries on the committee — such as Cornelius — argued that was not true and that state law always prevailed.
It took three years to get a ruling from Tabit but nearly two weeks ago she gave Cornelius a complete victory. She reiterated that party rules cannot contradict state law.
Put as simply as possible, Tabit reinstated Cornelius; said all actions by the state committee, Potter and Warner with regard to him had been in error; and ordered the situation to return to where it was when Potter attempted her now-aborted removal of Cornelius.
While Cornelius remained relatively quiet awaiting Tabit’s written decision last week, there have still been no pronouncements from State Chair Mark Harris or the party Executive Director. Apparently, according to a letter written today by Cornelius, the state party has done nothing to comply with Tabit’s order.
Not only, perhaps, do Harris and his ED believe they can supercede state law but they can ignore lawful court orders as well. Judge Tabit may not take too well to that. We’ll see.
So much for the “law and order” of the state GOP. Apparently they prefer the lawlessness of the Wild, Wild West.
In his letter emailed to Harris, Cornelius begins, “(p)er the terms of the Order of the Kanawha Circuit Court entered ten days ago (attached), as Chairman of the Wood County Republican Executive Committee, this is a formal request for the following from the WVGOP:
“Immediate access to the RNC DataCenter product, with privileges for Wood County and all parts of other bordering counties contained in legislative districts containing any or all of Wood County, specifically House Districts 10-14 and Senate District 3.”
Cornelius then explains why he is requesting the information for election purposes.
He continues, “Future timely notification of all conference calls for WVGOP Executive Committee members or similar, such as the monthly call from which I was excluded on February 10, 2022.”
(Note that February 10 was AFTER Tabit had made her decision clear).
“Future timely notification of all in-person or remote meetings of the body or committees of the body.
Minutes and attendance logs of all regular and special meetings of the WVGOP Executive Committee and its committees conducted since my illegal exclusion began in June of 2019,” he continues.
“Complete rosters of all credentialing committees that participated in WVGOP State Executive Committee meetings since June 15, 2019.
“All treasury reports presented to the body since June 15, 2019, including the current bank status & amounts of all funds under or allocated to WVGOP custody as part of any joint fundraising agreements with our Federal candidates.
“Copies of all RFAI letters issued to WVGOP for failures in reporting legally to the Federal Election Commission, and WVGOP responses (if any) since June 15, 2019.
“Record of any independent audit or review of any Party accounts, state or Federal, conducted from June of 2019 to present.
“Correct online immediately your website at https://wvgop.org/about-us/find-your-local-gop/ to indicate the legal and correct Chair of the Wood County Republican Committee, with a listed contact point of WoodCoGOP@gmail.com
To save time and your printing expense, I would prefer all above documents provided in an electronic form.
“I am especially concerned about the flock of RFAI letters issued to the Party this year by the FEC. According to public documents at the FEC, West Virginia Republican Party Inc. has received these RFAI citations for financial filing deficiencies for the last four months, consecutively. That has never happened since the reformation of this Federal committee in 2005 and is a strong sign that the FEC may believe there is a lack of institutional financial control. This is an important matter for discussion at the Winter Meeting.
“Our contact information is below. And our accurate Wood County Republican Executive Committee roster as now posted by the West Virginia Secretary of State is attached for your records.
“Finally, please add to the WVGOP.org Calendar page our monthly meeting of the Wood County Republican Executive Committee.
“Specific in our County Party bylaws, that meeting is set for 7:30 PM on the third Tuesday of every month in even-numbered years, and is held at the Judge Black Courthouse Annex on Market Street in downtown Parkersburg. The next one is on March 15th.
“We would appreciate the publicity as we grow our organization after this 33 month unplanned pause.
“I truly look forward to visiting with all of you in Huntington next month. T-Anne can likely confirm that SuperBlock is beautiful in March.”
It’s a very strong and appropriate communication from Cornelius, who has done nothing to degrade the Wood County or state GOP committees over the years.
In fact, while Potter, Harris and their supporters describe Cornelius as “brash” and confrontational, he behaved professionally and with proper decorum through the entire process. Many would have lost their patience long ago.
Harris already has his well-earned thumb-my-nose-at-authority reputation earned during his tenure as medical director of the Beckley Veterans Administration Medical Center. He needs to do nothing more to prove he’s not dedicated to law and order.
Great job, Cornelius. About what we expected, Harris.