Bibb Democrats still seek to remove Allen from elections board | Politics | Macon.com

The controversy between the Bibb County Board of Elections and the local Democratic party over whether Steve Allen should remain the party’s appointee to the board isn’t going away.

Last week, acting Democratic Party Chairwoman Sandye Powell sent a letter to Allen, saying the party’s executive committee never gave formal approval of Allen and fellow Democrat appointee Ronnie Miley when former Chairman Fred Swann reappointed them in the spring to the Board of Elections.

Party officials subsequently have named Miley and John Swint as their appointees to the elections board, which is comprised of two Democrats, two Republicans and an independent.

“(Allen’s) appointment was bogus,” Powell said. “He was never properly appointed. He never got a concurrence of the (executive committee).”

Swann recently wrote a letter to Elections Supervisor Jeanetta Watson admitting as much, saying the bylaws of the local party require the concurrence of the committee to make those appointments.

“Therefore, I was not authorized to make such an appointment in a unilateral fashion,” he wrote.

Swann resigned last month and Powell replaced him, becoming the fifth person to lead the party in the past 19 months.

Allen, who was a member of the party’s executive committee when he was reappointed to the elections board by Swann to a two-year term, said he was forced to resign from the executive committee in June after party members took exception to his vote supporting Sept. 17 as the date for the nonpartisan elections for the new Macon-Bibb County consolidated government. Some local Democrats wanted the election to be held in November instead.

via Bibb Democrats still seek to remove Allen from elections board | Politics | Macon.com.