TERRE HAUTE — Removing Mike Ellis as secretary of the Democratic Party is like removing the one Democratic leader connected to the voters — that’s how Ellis feels.
A hearing to determine just that is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Operating Engineers Hall at 6801 S. U.S. 41.
It’s unclear as to whether the public and the media will be allowed to attend, said Democratic Party chairman Joe Etling, because the party has never conducted a removal hearing.
If it’s similar to a personnel issue, then only committee members will be allowed to attend. However, if similar to a caucus, it will be open, he said. Etling said he has asked for an opinion from the state party and still was waiting for an answer Wednesday.
Chris Gambill, a Democratic Party precinct committeeman, mailed a petition to about 170 fellow party committeemen and vice committeemen Dec. 5 seeking Ellis’ removal as party secretary. One-third of the committee members were needed to sign it in order to move forward with a hearing.
The petition accuses Ellis of working on behalf of Republicans in the 2006 county prosecutor’s race and 2007 Terre Haute mayor’s race.
It also alleges Ellis had a letter to the editor published in the Tribune-Star without the authority or approval of the central committee and asserted that the letter was submitted as “the unanimously elected secretary of the Vigo County Democrat Central Committee,” without authorization from the party, according to a copy of a certified letter to Ellis from Etling notifying Ellis of the hearing and allegations.
“As a Democrat leader, are my obligations to the party or are my obligations to the Democrat voters? Who am I a Democrat leader to, the Democrat voters or the Democrat leaders?” Ellis said in regard to the accusations of supporting Republicans. “And I say my job as a Democrat leader is to be responsible to the Democrat voters, and the Democrat voters wanted Duke Bennett to be mayor and the Democrat voters wanted Terry Modesitt to be prosecutor …”
Though Ellis expected to attend the meeting or have someone attend on his behalf, he believes he will be voted out of his position because of recent committeemen appointments.
“My strategy is to remain committed to the Democrat voters and not the Democrat machine,” Ellis said about what he plans to do if he is ousted from his position.
Etling said the only issues involved in the hearing were stated in the petition and the letter sent to Ellis. He said he’s not going to be involved in an exchange with Ellis through the print media.
“The petition was filed with me that carried the appropriate number of signatures and I’ve set the matter for a removal hearing,” he said. “He’ll have an opportunity to present evidence at that hearing and the members of the committee will decide what they decide at that time and that’s basically the process that’s going to occur.”
Two-thirds of the members present need to vote to support the petition in order for Ellis to be removed, Etling said.
As far as the petition, Ellis said he has yet to receive a copy nor be notified about any new committee appointments.
“I think it’s an act of desperation for the Democrat Party leaders to lash out as a result of losing the last two elections, and it’s sad because they’re really lashing out at the Democrat voters,” Ellis said. “It may be against me in main, but it’s really against all of us who decided that we no longer were going to concern ourselves with what party bosses said we were supposed to do or what we had to do.”
Party rules require Etling only to notify Ellis of the charges against him and when the hearing will occur. Etling said he did that in a certified letter. The four numbered points in the letter were taken verbatim from the petition, Etling said.
For now, Etling wants to let the hearing run its course and is trying to organize events to deal with the upcoming elections. Party leaders also are exploring some options in dealing with types of campaigning, he said.
“… We’re trying to put together a group of people and I hope that it would be something that, in that sense, could be maybe even a bipartisan effort to try to address some of the negative campaigning that’s occurring, sometimes anonymously,” Etling said, “in hopes [of presenting] candidates in a positive way and be promoting positive campaigning by all participants in the process, with the hope that that’s what’s best for all the citizens in the community.”
Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.
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Democrats to meet Tuesday on Ellis removal
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