Annapolis Democrats have adopted a plan to make a selection of the replacement for Annapolis Alderman Marc Rodriguez transparent and fair.
It’s an overdue step that other party committees would do well to observe as it unfolds over the next several weeks.
Rodriguez is expected to leave his seat on the City Council as part of a planned move to Oregon for a new job. He has waited to resign until after the date that would have triggered a special election, 15 months before the 2021 municipal election. He was criticized by some for the decision, but holding a special election during a pandemic when an appointment process is an option seemed less than wise. It seemed foolhardy.
A Democrat, Rodriquez’s replacement will be picked by the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee, comprised of nine members and as many alternates. In the past, this process has been murky at best.
Committee chair Tom McCarthy this week announced the committee will take the unprecedented step of holding a public hearing where all deliberations will be held in full view. But not before releasing the applications, biographies and letters of support for all candidates hoping to replace Rodriguez.
If this plays out as explained, it will be a significant step forward from the days when backroom deals benefit the good ol’ boys to the detriment of everyone else.
We have no illusions about any appointment by committee. Those who win tend to have powerful friends or have done service to the party. Expect to see some familiar names put their names forward, and many would-be influencers express their preference for this candidate or that.
And the advantage is that the choice immediately gets the advantages of incumbency over the primary field and general election opponents without having to campaign for it.
The difference this time, we hope, is that members of the committee will feel an obligation to make clear why they are choosing someone.
That was part of the criticsm leveled against the Anne Arundel Democratic Central Committee earlier this year when it used a closed meeting to nominate Dana Jones for the House of Delegates seat vacated by Alice Cain. Not only was the meeting held out of public view, but a reporter for The Capital invited to watch was booted out of the video conference room when it became inconvenient to have a witness.
Jones, who appears to be an earnest person with national political experience hoping to do a good job, was chosen even though she got no votes from the committee members representing the district she now represents. No explanation for the choice has been forthcoming.
Thea Boykins-Wilson, chair of the county central committee, said her committee followed procedures in place for years. Deliberations have always been held behind closed doors, she said, and holding the interviews by video conference helped increase transparency.
We beg to differ. The process that resulted in the selection of Jones was anything but transparent and defending a system because it’s the one that’s always been is an excuse familiar to anyone with the language of bureaucrats.
We urge Boykins-Wilson and other members of the county committee to observe the process drafted by their city counterparts. They should consider their own reforms with the same goals in mind.
Congratulations to McCarthy and his committee. Elections are preferred, but sometimes an appointment is the better choice. There’s no telling how this will turn out, but a step toward greater transparency is always the right move.
