Cape May County Democratic Party Ends Fight To Suspend Committee Elections

After losing a court battle and in the face of growing opposition from progressives, County Chair Brendan Sciarra stands down.

By David Todd McCarty | Wednesday, April 15, 2020

After a bruising defeat in court, and with a growing split between the party establishment and progressive groups threatening to overshadow the election, Cape May County Chairman Brendan Sciarra announced on Monday that he was cancelling a hastily scheduled Committee meeting that had been intended to amend the bylaws to allow him to suspend Committee Elections until 2021.

The good news is that Chairman Sciarra made the right decision in allowing Cape May County Committee Elections to move forward. The unfortunate, yet undeniable, bad news is that his hand was forced. If it were not for the actions of progressive groups such as Working Families Alliance and Cape May County Indivisible, the elections would have been postponed until June 2021.

There is still a question on the table that must be answered by all Cape May County Democrats and that is this: What is the future of the Democratic Party in Cape May County and who is ready and willing to lead the Party into an uncertain future?

Do you vote to maintain the status quo? Do you vote to maintain the leadership that gave us Jeff Van Drew? Do you vote for continued servitude to power broker George Norcross in Trenton? Or do you vote for greater transparency, more democracy, and more input from voters?

The final remaining question, on this issue, is whether Chairman Michael Suleiman of the Atlantic County Democratic Party will follow suit, or continue to suppress the votes of progressive Democrats in Atlantic County. Mr. Suleiman did not respond to our request for comment by press time.

You have a voice and now, once again, you have a vote. 

What will you do with them?

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Follow David Todd McCarty on Twitter @davidtmccarty and The Standard @capemaystandard