SCRANTON, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is stepping in to take control of the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee's restructuring process, effectively halting a local attempt to purge dozens of elected members.
The state party’s executive committee voted Monday to facilitate the local committee’s upcoming reorganization. Under the state's directive, all duly elected members will be permitted to participate, including 76 individuals who had been targeted for removal by local party leadership.
The state-level intervention represents the latest development in a deepening intraparty dispute. Under the direction of outgoing Chairman Chris Patrick, the county committee had sent letters to 76 elected members informing them they were ineligible to serve. Local party leadership claimed the members violated party rules by supporting independent candidates in recent special or general elections.
News of the state party's takeover came shortly after Lackawanna County Judge Terrence R. Nealon granted a preliminary injunction in the Court of Common Pleas. Nealon's ruling officially blocks the county committee from removing the 76 members and prevents party leadership from filling any vacancies that would be created by their ouster. The judge ruled that no removals can take place until the formal appeals processes established under both local and state party bylaws have concluded.
Additionally, Nealon blocked the county committee from moving forward with a local reorganization meeting that had been scheduled for July 7. The state Democratic Party has not yet confirmed a new date for the reorganization meeting it will now oversee.
