Chattooga County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Shiflett says that the executive committee of the local Democratic Party has voted to not allow Commissioner Jason Winters to qualify in the future as a Democrat. Shiflett said that the decision was unanimous among the officers of the local party, which consists of: Tim Shiflett, Dee Matlock, Pam Albert, Merle Matlock, Kelly Thomas and Clemmie Black.  The letter states:

 Commissioner,

"In my possession as spokesman for the Chattooga County Democratic Party, I am informing you that you will no longer be allowed to qualify for public office inChattooga County as a Democratic candidate.

"Our Party By-Laws, in Article VI, Section I state that “Special action may be taken by the Chair, provided he/she has a majority vote of the Executive Board”. This vote has been taken, and the actions described in this notice have been unanimously approved.

"It is felt by our Party that you no longer meet the definition of 'qualified candidates' as mentioned in Article II, Section I, Democratic elected officials cannot remain in good standing if they support the Republican candidate in two races, as you did this year. How you vote privately is your concern. But, when you publicly work for and endorse the candidacy of our opposition, then the Party that has promoted your public career with funds and volunteer support is forced to take these actions.

"Further, in our next regularly scheduled Party Meeting, there will be a discussion and possible vote taken on your expulsion from the Party, as mentioned in Article III, section 5. You may be expelled for “just cause”. We believe your public works and statements on behalf of two Republican candidates this year meet and even exceed this criteria. If you wish to object to your expulsion, you may appeal this action, as is also outlined in the same Article and Section.

"Let me state in closing that I do not relish or enjoy in any way this unfortunate situation that has unfolded. The actions that we have decided on in dealing with this should in no way be interpreted as being of a personal nature. Rather, it should be viewed as a statement of expectation. When you sing the qualifying papers, it signifies that you are a Democrat. If you wish to support the opposition, then you should feel free to do so. But, do it as a member of that opposition. We must and should expect a Democratic elected official to actually be a Democrat, and to publicly conduct themselves as one. And frankly, those of us who labor for the Party and candidates like yourself as volunteers don’t feel that’s too much to ask. We must stand for something. We have a philosophy unique to our Party as all political parties do. We also maintain a set of principles. Unfortunately, it is felt unanimously by the officers of the Chattooga County Democratic party that you have violated both. Simply, supporting the opposition with the understanding that such support will produce a job offer is not exactly the philosophy or core set of principles that we are looking for in our candidates.

"Therefore, upon your receipt of this letter, we signify that this matter is resolved, from our side. Best of luck to you in future endeavors, and we thank you for your service to the people of this County for the past six years.

Sincerely,

Tim Shiflett

Chair

ChattoogaCountyDemocratic Party"

 

Commissioner Winters told AM 1180 Wednesday afternoon: " I was surprised by the action taken by Mr. Shiflett and the Chattooga County Democratic Party  this morning.  But I remain proud to stand by my bi-partisan support for Governor Deal and Senator Mullis for all that they have done to help the citizens of Chattooga County. "