Glen Maxey: No More Backroom Deals in the Democratic Party

[WestHoustonDem]

No more back room deals.

The Party belongs to the PEOPLE.

We are less than 90 days from the State Democratic Convention in Fort Worth.

I hope you are part of this process and will be attending your Senate or County Convention on March 25th, and will be a delegate this June at the convention.

At the convention, delegates will have a choice from among several candidates for the position of state party chair.

I have announced as a candidate for that office ( www.MaxeyforChair.com ) and laid out a vision for our party over the coming years. We must open up the process, reinvigorate those who have become disillusioned, and welcome the new energy of folks across Texas who wish for a party that stands for something again.

And for many, their frustration is best expressed by a volunteer who wrote me this week:

“I think someone should start a Democratic Party in Texas!!!!!!”

So with the beginnings of a real conversation and discussion about our party’s direction underway, I’m saddened to write this email.

Some folks distrust the thousands of Democrats who’ll be coming to Fort Worth so much that they once again have decided to try to take away your right to a real discussion.

The back room deal is alive and well in our party. The phone lines have been burning up over the last few days, as our current Chair, Mr. Charles Soechting, and “the brokers of the status quo” have been hatching their deal to shut out the delegates once again.

On Tuesday, Chairman Soechting announced his resignation for personal reasons relating to family and business. Sadly, that’s not the reason he expressed in the calls over the last weeks.

As I’ve heard the story repeated by many, he is doing this because the insiders have decided that Glen Maxey might be elected at the State Convention. I’m flattered that they believe the delegates would elect me. However, I’m appalled that they think this fast move to give their candidate the “incumbency” advantage won’t be noticed for what it is: a slap in the delegates’ face, yet again.

Dropping out and calling a quick election wasn’t right when Republicans Todd Baxter and Ray Allen resigned from the Legislature and allowed Rick Perry to try to set up a short-lived “incumbency” for their successors. It smelled when Perry did it, and it smells when our Democratic leadership does it.

In any case, their plan was not for Glen Maxey to be the person elected by the 63 members of State Democratic Executive Committee at this hastily called meeting.

So, just for the record, I wanted you all to know that I won’t seek the temporary chairmanship for the 49 days until a permanent chair will be elected by the people of the Texas Democratic Party.

I’ll continue to take my case to the duly elected delegates who are entrusted by state law and by the rules of this party to make this decision.

I urge you to talk to your SDEC members about this backroom deal. Ask them to support allowing the delegates to make this decision as the law and the rules suggest.

Instead of calling a special election 49 days before the Convention, Mr. Soechting could just as easily turn over the Chair to our first Vice Chair, Ms. Hadnot.. While he has the power to call the meeting to do the insider deal, he also has the ability to trust the judgment of Texas Democrats and allow the delegates to lead on this important decision.

I wish Mr. Soechting well in his future endeavors.

But under a Glen Maxey chairmanship, there will be no more backroom deals.

Glen Maxey

Candidate for State Party Chair at the June Convention

P.S. The SDEC will meet this Saturday, March 18th in San Marcos. If you wish to contact your members before the meeting, their contact information is listed at:

SDEC

P.S.S. I will not be able to attend Saturday’s SDEC meeting. My closest friend and a longtime Democratic leader, Erma Faye Jefferson passed away this week. Services are at 11:00 am at Aldersgate Church, 2201 Earl Rudder, College Station. March 18th, 2006.

[muse]

1. I don't have a clue as to the positions of the two camps involved in this.

Maxey and Richie. Can someone post a primer? Something to catch those of us up who are clueless? What would be the advantages of having either one as the chair? I take it Richie is Soechting's heir apparent.

Thanks.

[NoPasaran]

4. Maxey has a website

Maxey For Chair, Richie, not so much.
There are several ongoing discussions at Burnt Orange

I know there are supporters of the various candidates on this forum, perhaps this would be a good thread to enlighten us to the virtues of their guy? Let's try to keep it positive and helpful, m'kay?

[johncoby2]

6. Richie (sp?) is from the dallas area

Ive heard good words about him.

He might be Schoetings recommendation, but he doesnt make the selection. The SDEC will do that April 22. The meetings are open to the public.

Since Maxey has had a fit and will not run, he will not be considered. Just what we need, another stupid controversy. This is just plain stupid. Stupid.


Stupid I tell you.

Stupid.

[crispini]

8. Boyd Richie is from the Dallas area?

Are you sure? I've been pretty active here and I've never met him. He's not on the SDEC from here and he's not a Precinct Chair. :shrug:

[johncoby2]

9. Could be wrong.

My SDEC chair had very good words for him. And my SDEC chair works his ASS off for the party so I respect his opinion.

Unfortuantley he is retiring and will not seek reelection. He is REAL GOOD and will be missed.

[crispini]

7. Maxey was a State Legislator and is a longtime activist.

I know and like Maxey because of his work with Democracy for Texas. Every time I have heard Glen speak about what party organization SHOULD be, I have thought to myself, "Right on!" You can find more about Glen, including his "Open Letter" explaining why he's running, at www.maxeyforchair.com

I have to admit I don't know anything about Boyd Richie.

[meg]

20. Maxey implies that, but doesn't offer any proof

That is one of the things I don't like about Maxey's letter. Check out what Dr. Teal said in response for Richie.

[meg]

21. South Texas Chisme has a candidate questionnaire

see du thread on this

and South Texas Chisme questionnaire

Glen Maxey has posted that he has already responded to the survey.

[acmejack]

2. Thanks for the update

I am getting a 404 on the link though. I haven't updated all my emails since I changed my e mail address, this is another one I missed. I love missing all the spam but missing things like this is brutal.

[WestHoustonDem]

3. Fixed the link

[johncoby2]

5. There is no back room deals Maxey! Get a grip folks.

You know folks this is an absolutely stupid email sent by Maxey.

The decision to pick an interim chair is made by the SDEC members, you know the guys you and I talk to and encourage to make decisions. Scheochting has just as much influence on these guys as we do, in fact since he is leaving, he has less.

I've talked with my SDEC chair (one of them) and he had good things to say about Maxey and Rithic Boyd too. He is leaning towards Boyd. I didnt have a recommendation.

It really pisses me off when people use the stupid "back room deals" excuse when that is NOT what is going on. It divides us into the "status quo" and some other group of people. And I am not sure what group I would be considered in.

But then again I don't care. The advancement of our candidates is what is important, the rest is political wannabee bullshit.



So much for first impressions from Maxey.

[crispini]

10. It stands to reason that

the members of the SDEC would most likely pick one of their own (Boyd Richie) to be the interim chair. People tend to pick people who they have worked with, trust, and have experience with rather than someone they do not know. I see this as a rather astute political move by Maxey. Rather than run for the interim chair position, possibly get rejected, and be in a weakened position going into the State Convention, he's going to save his ammo for the position he really wants.

[nick_DFT]

11. It's that...

....and it's not playing the games that have for far too long made us the minority party in Texas.

If we want REAL change in how things are operated, we must create it ourselves.

I feel that this stand by Maxey speaks loudly and clearly to his vision and plan for the Texas Democrats <b><i>across the state</i></b>, not just the few who try desperately to shut the people out.

[johncoby2]

12. That is such an ignorant statement

My contacts with the SDEC members does not represent this thinking.

If you havent learned it by now, the SDEC chairs are elected by US. So if you want them to vote for someone, contact them, convince them. Or sit by whining like a jr without a date to the prom.

If Maxey would run and get his folks to petition the SDEC members, he could have a chance to winning or of getting close. It would look good at the convention.


There is just nothing worse than the constant whining of those who don't know what they are doing.



Stupid shit like this makes me even want to get out of the damn party. Everything has to be a conflict. I think some folks need to come down to District 22 and get to work with us. Then you will see the pettyness of all of this.

[muse]

13. Your comment about district 22 is funny

I've been making the same comment on quite a few boards. Whenever things get ridiculous and whiny over whatever, particularly state or national issues between candidates, I just beg everyone to shut up and come down to District 22 and do the real work of the party to get Tom DeLay out of office. Everything else really doesn't matter to me between now and Nov. 7th. At all.

[Czolgosz]

14. This email makes me LESS inclined to support Maxey (who I sorta like).

I wish I knew more about the other candidates.

Am I the only one who looks at our candidates (e.g., Radnofsky, Bell, Van Oz, Grant, etc.) and snickers at the suggestion that these courageous folks were selected through any process that even remotely involved a backroom deal? Has Maxey ever met these candidates? They are not exactly backroom-deal-type candidates.

Also, am I the only one who thinks Soechting did a pretty good job when you consider that he took over the party while it was basically on life support? Surely, we still have a ways to go yet, but we've made some progress under Soechting, who never complained within my earshot while he dedicated lots of time to a pretty thankless task.

[johncoby2]

15. Amen! To insinuate (sp?) that we participate in....

back room deals is insulting.

I agree about Charles. When everyone else was looking for the next thing to whine about Charles ran and won and took off. He also was battling cancer.

With all of the know it alls in politics now a days, I dont blame him for leaving.

And I agree, Barbara, Nick, Chris and the whole bunch wasn't a back room deal either. That is a stupid thing to think or insinuate (sp?)

and I also agree, Maxey is one notch lower on my list for this stupid email stunt of his. Nothing like dividing the party. Can't he have a little tactfulness once in a while?

[crispini]

17. Yeah well you want me to tell you about backroom deals?

Buy me a beer sometimes. :evilgrin:

[johncoby2]

19. You are on! We can exchange stories!

Although the backroom deals were done right in front of our face, but our chair convinced everyone that that was the way it was done for the last 22 years. So all the newbies, including me, thought it was.

Two years later I learned that that was not true. It was quite a sight. Our chair had lied to us to our face. So it wasn't really a back room deal.

But you can buy me a beer anyway. I will listen to you.

[muse]

16. I wish he would quit referring to himself in the third person.

How confusing. He keeps talking about "Glen Maxey" as if he is talking about someone else. I kept thinking, "is Glen Maxey writing this?"

Poor writing. Not a good start for someone who wants to be the Chair.

The whole email is sort of confusing, to tell you the truth. It's like you are supposed to read between the lines and figure out something. What I'm not sure.

[friedcatfish]

18. Look into a man's heart

Nobody, but nobody with Glen's stature would have given me - a political novice - the time of day, except Glen when I approached him in the midst of a very hectic 2004 political campaign about a side GOTV idea that was an outreach to a small number of poor, disabled, and homeless people. Instead of cold calculations of resources, time, and cost/benefit, he accepted my idea and within a very short period of time had a large number of activists helping me. That day, Glen did not gain a powerful political alliance, but only the support and gratitude of one rank and file foot soldier.

We can debate about who has the best expertise, intelligence, strategy, data-base, and ready volunteers. Even though I believe Glen is head and shoulders above all, his real strength is the passion and drive to include and listen to all

I encourage those who have doubts to please contact him

[johncoby2]

22. I did contact him. Havent heard back.

[nick_DFT]

23. I asked him

John,

I asked him about your call and he said he received a message from a John but the last name wasn't Coby, maybe yours isn't! Anyway he didn't catch the number, but said he'd be happy to chat.

[Lisa0825]

24. Coby isn't his last name.

It's short for his last name, Cobarruvias.