| Kay Colosimo, Tom Mathews and Sharon Murdock explain to the Democratic Central Committee the purpose of the special meeting that was held at the Carbon County Courthouse on Monday evening. |
On Monday evening the central committee of the Carbon County Democratic Party decertified the candidacy of LeAnna Axelgard regarding her run for county commissioner.
With 40 democratic leaders in attendance, the vote on the matter was unanimous.
The issue came to light when Axelgard filed for the commission seat currently filled by Tom Mathews. Axelgard, who ran a few years ago against Brad King, the areas state representative at the legislature from House District 69, as a Republican. Up until Monday she was also a registered Republican with the county according to Bob Pero, county clerk.
“She came in today and registered as a Democrat,” said Pero to the assembled group. “She claims that she actually registered as a Democrat over a year ago, but our records don’t reflect that. We give them a receipt and I told her if she could find that she could present it to the party leadership to prove it.”
County party leaders say she never showed up with the slip before the meeting to prove her claim.
Axelgard also attended the Democratic precinct meeting for her area and was elected a county convention delegate as well as a delegate from her area for the sate convention.
“This is the party of Jackson and FDR,” stated Dennis Dooley after he made the motion to decertify her candidacy. “It is not a shirt you put on or take off at a whim.”
Brad King also spoke and told the group that any move they made would have ramifications.
“She would probably not be a factor in this race anyway,” he said. “You can ignore the problem now or ignore it later. But the decision will affect things.”
Tom Mathews who stepped down as chair during the meeting because Axelgard was running against him told the group he would support whatever they did.
Some in the audience were concerned about legal ramifications, but Dooley and other leaders had checked with the attorney generals office and they told him that it was up to the party and had nothing to do with the state.
“It is up to the party,” he told those who asked. “They told us we could do what we wanted.”
The state Democratic Party is currently trying to decertify a candidate for governor who is a convict at the Point of the Mountain after he registered as a Democrat without the knowledge of the party too.