(Update on the bottom of the post, a response from RPV chair.)
Late on Wednesday night the Republican Party of Virginia Chairman, Jack Wilson ruled, commanded, decided, announced, there will be no convention in the 97th district this weekend. In one fell swoop, he tried to disenfranchised 1,700 delegates duly elected to vote on the nomination of candidates in three days.
People involved say Chairman Wilson has no authority to do this. This is only Wilson’s opinion and he cannot dismiss the ruling of the Legislative District Chairman who has ruled that there will be a convention in the 97th district on Saturday. The convention will proceed.
Convention Details:
97th District House of Delegates convention
When: 8 a.m. Saturday.
Where: Atlee High School, 9414 Atlee Station Road. Note that this is a new location.
RPV chairman Wilson’s statement:
I have been inundated by emails and calls from across Virginia regarding events happening in the 97th House of Delegates District. Like you, I am extremely displeased with how the events in the 97th LDC have unfolded over the course of the last few weeks. Tonight, the 97th Legislative District Committee passed a motion canceling the convention scheduled for this Saturday. Under the Party Plan, the Legislative District Committee, not the Chairman of the Committee, has jurisdiction over the Party nominating process in the 97th House of Delegates district. I make no judgment on whether the decision was proper. There is an appeals process in our governing document and the Party will observe this process going forward. Accordingly, the convention will be removed from RPV’s website.
This email is in no way intended to endorse or rebuke either candidate or their campaign. The Republican Party of Virginia is strictly neutral in such matters and believes those Republicans in the 97th have the responsibility to elect their nominee in accordance with the Party Plan.
In Victory,
Jack Wilson
Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia
UPDATE: response from RPV chairman Jack Wilson,
“Neither I nor the Republican Party of Virginia cancelled the 97th District convention or removed Tom Miller as Legislative District Committee (LDC) chair. Neither is true, and spreading those untruths is irresponsible and detrimental to the Republican Party.
The LDC voted to cancel the convention, and the only thing that the RPV did was acknowledge the vote and remove the convention posting from the RPV website. Tom Miller is still chairman of the LDC. He left the meeting prior to the vote after improperly (unilaterally without a vote) trying to adjourn the meeting. The chairman of the committee is not the committee — the committee members with the votes are who decides the actions of the LDC.”
