That is, unless you live in Jefferson County.
From CBS4:
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- The woman named “Democrat of The Year” this year by the Jefferson County Democratic Party has been convicted of felony theft by a Jefferson County jury for stealing from a developmentally disabled 71-year-old woman.
It’s standard practice, of course, for political parties to award “people of the year” honors to volunteers who have given time to the party. It makes volunteers feel appreciated and, better yet, the party can fundraise by selling tickets to awards dinners.
There’s never any reason for the parties handing out these awards to suspect one of their volunteers is involved in something shady, either. Honoring someone with a cheap plaque and some second-rate spaghetti doesn’t warrant a criminal background check. If criminal allegations — or any other unsavory pieces of information — come out after someone is named an “x of the year” the best course of action is to probably cut off all ties and, perhaps, revoke the award. There’s not much more you could do.
It’s a totally different story, however, to give an award to someone after you know they’re under criminal investigation. Unfortunately, in the case of this “Democrat of the Year,” that’s a lesson the Jefferson County Democratic Party has to learn the hard way.
More from CBS:
[T]hree days before the January 8 gala, advocates for the victim contacted the party via email and phone informing them of the criminal investigation.
But Chris Kennedy, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic party, dismissed the concerns saying there was not a conviction and bestowed the “Democrat Of The Year” honor on Carson.
In an email following the event, Kennedy wrote, “After much consideration, my decision was that the award being presented by my organization and the alleged financial exploitation need to be compartmentalized, one having no bearing on the other. Thus I decided to present the award to Estelle.”
Seriously? The “alleged financial exploitation” needs to be compartmentalized? This is an award for “Democrat of the Year.” As much as the title is a commonplace honorific, the award itself is a bold declaration that its recipient is one of the party’s all-around most valuable members. If someone is accused of a crime, there’s no question that lessens the value of their profile and contributions as a Democrat.
Kennedy defended his decision to CBS by saying that the woman in question had been “accused, not convicted” and that he “did not have reason to believe it was true.” That shouldn’t have mattered. As the county’s Democratic chair, Kennedy has the responsibility to earn his party the best possible optics and, more importantly, to make sure it avoids embarrassing stories like these. That there was even an investigation was cause to cancel the presentation of the award — in case things turned out exactly like they did here.
Had Kennedy resisted presenting the award, the volunteer-in-question’s feelings would’ve been hurt and others, perhaps, would’ve been offended. But, had she been exonerated, the award could’ve been given at a later date. Instead, the Jefferson County Democratic Party is now plagued by headlines directly showcasing its official approval of a someone who stole from a developmentally disabled septuagenerian.
This is a major lapse in judgement at best and incompetence at worst.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
BY: Meiner49er
IN: Kamala Harris for President is Changing EVERYTHING
BY: JohnNorthofDenver
IN: Lauren Boebert Lets Her Conspiracy Freak Flag Fly
BY: Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS
IN: Kamala Harris for President is Changing EVERYTHING
BY: Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS
IN: Kamala Harris for President is Changing EVERYTHING
BY: Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS
IN: Why Everybody Loves Jared Polis
BY: Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS
IN: Monday Open Thread
BY: Phoenix Rising
IN: Monday Open Thread
BY: Phoenix Rising
IN: Monday Open Thread
BY: Gorky Pulviczek
IN: Why Everybody Loves Jared Polis
BY: Genghis
IN: Kamala Harris for President is Changing EVERYTHING
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!
Comments