“You Are An Asshole.” FDC Decides On Local Endorsements

“You are an assh-le.”

To understand Fredericksburg, one must understand the Fredericksburg Democratic Committee.

This week the organization held its monthly meeting to hear speeches from local candidates seeking the party’s endorsement for this November’s election, offering a glimpse into the direction, the discussions and the divides of the party that represents two out of three Fredericksburg voters and how it selects the next caste of candidates for city leadership.

Nearly 80 of the group’s 195 members gathering during last Wednesday evening’s showers inside the Central Rappahannock Regional Library’s atrium. In attendance were six members of City Council, members of the Economic Development Authority (EDA) and School Board and the Fredericksburg Sheriff.

According to the meeting’s agenda, only FDC members would be permitted to remain in the room while the candidates addressed the audience “for the privacy and comfort of our members.” Recording would not be allowed.

The only issue with those prohibitions, however, was the choice of venue at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library: all meetings at CRRL facilities must be open to the general public.

hyperbole was among the handful of those asked to leave Wednesday evening’s meeting by Fredericksburg Democratic Chair Chair Ken Lecky.

That request was refused.

After a brief recess to discussion with library staff, the meeting continued with all present in attendance. Lecky cautioned the candidates that anyone who didn’t feel uncomfortable speaking under that format wouldn’t be required to do so.

Rashawn Cowles, who is running for Fredericksburg Sheriff in November, was the first candidate to address the committee. He was followed by Marion Bowman, candidate for Treasurer and Libby Humphries, who is seeking reelection as Commonwealth Attorney.

The committee moved next to Ward 3 school board candidate Annie Langdon before city council candidates Matt Rowe in Ward 1, Joy Crump in Ward 2 and Chuck Frye, who is seeking reelection in Ward 4.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Susann Finn, who is seeking election after an appointment by council in February, as well as candidate for the Commissioner of the Revenue Tamara Stuart, were both prohibited from attending due to the Hatch Act. That legislation that prohibits federal employees from seeking endorsements from political parties, in particular nonpartisan elections like Fredericksburg’s where candidates appear on the ballot without party affiliation. According to the FDC’s meeting agenda, both Finn and Stuart sent the group letters.

Several candidates, however, were prohibited by the FDC from speaking.

Matt Kelly, Anne Little and Sarah Stelmok all sought the opportunity to speak at Wednesday’s meeting, a task that required the completion of lengthy candidate questionnaires.

Kelly, who is running for Ward 3’s seat, spent several months seeking permission to address the group over a number of emails sent to Chair Lecky. A number of those messages include copies to hyperbole, as well as a number of other media outlets.

None of Kelly’s emails copied to hyperbole included any reply from the FDC until on July 5th, four days before the FDC’s meeting, when Lecky alerted the candidates that due to “time constraints and a large number of responses” and for several candidates excluded from the proceedings due to the Hatch Act, the Executive Committee made the decision to limit speakers to those “affirmatively seeking our endorsement.”

“If you are receiving this email, we understand that you are not actively seeking our endorsement and acknowledge your reasons for that, and you will not be speaking at our meeting on Wednesday,” Lecky’s email read.

Lecky wrote that it wasn’t his intention to “mislead” candidates about the purpose of the meeting, but that the event was “not meant to be a public candidate forum.” The email reminded candidates not to share the contents of the questionnaire with members of the public.

Lecky explained that all candidate questionnaires were distributed to the FDC membership, and while he was unsure if candidates will have an opportunity to speak at future meetings, Lecky trusts “that there will be ample public forums as there were two years ago.” Kelly again made his case in an email on July 8th, the day before the FDC’s meeting. “The city has had a long tradition of not bring(ing) the parties into local elections and focusing on local issues,” Kelly wrote Lecky in one those emails that included copies to hyperbole and a number of local media outlets.

“I would again ask that you reconsider your position on both endorsements and allowing all candidates to address the committee on the 9th.”

Anne Little, candidate for city council in Ward 2, expressed more displeasure with Lecky’s explanation.

“I can’t believe you did this Ken. You asked us to fill out a questionnaire and then come to then come to the meeting to speak to your membership and then change the rules in the middle of the game,” Little wrote Lecky, calling the decision a “disservice” to both FDC members and the candidates. The FDC hasn’t always issued endorsements for local office.

Lecky briefed party membership that their group has endorsed local candidates “on and off” for a while, but that it became more of a priority in 2021, Fredericksburg’s first election cycle in November after the General Assembly voted to push back local elections from May. Lecky says that this year, however, was the first time the FDC has issued candidate questionnaires to all candidates that made the ballot.

The Fredericksburg Democratic Committee entered Wednesday’s meeting undecided if the party would make November endorsements. That action required a motion and majority vote of the membership in attendance, a process that began last Wednesday evening with an open discussion amongst the members.

Speakers on both sides made points for and against local party endorsements, with some supporting the move as a way to spread information about candidates and issues while others pointed to Fredericksburg’s tradition of nonpartisan elections and claimed that the party nods were the source of the recent rise of division within the city.

FDC Secretary Sue Sargeant was among the latter, saying that it was party endorsements, and not the oft-mentioned campaign for Accessory Dwelling Units, that first introduced partisanship and division into Fredericksburg.

“How could you say that you want to keep it partisan when our (former) representative Abigail Spanberger is one who unites people, brings people together?” Sargeant asked her fellow members.

What would Abigail Spanberger do?

Current Fredericksburg EDA Chair Meredith Schatz, whose membership to the FDC was approved earlier in the meeting, offered a clue at Wednesday’s meeting.

“I am Abigail Spanberger’s sister. Being here tonight is a privilege to hear from these individuals about their views,” Schatz stated.

“It’s our duty to spread these (endorsements) in the community to people likeminded, that these people can be trusted because you trust us.”

Joel Griffin, a former democratic nominee for state senate in 2023, spoke from experience in supporting endorsements, saying they open up avenues of support and resources to candidates in need and calling the FDC’s “obligation” like any other board.

It wasn’t until a commenter questioned the commitment of the candidates not seeking the party’s endorsements, specifically their dedication to the values of environmental, economic and social justice, that decorum began to deteriorate.

“You are an assh-le!” exclaimed Sarah Stelmok, a candidate for the school board’s Ward 3 seat, after a brief back-and-forth with the member. That comment drew a low gasp from the audience and the consternation from Lecky, who requested that Stelmok leave.

Stelmok refused.

Some of Stelmok’s frustrations can be sourced to the process behind-the-scenes, one which Stelmok says only allowed her two hours to complete the form with 15 questions, many with multiple aspects and layers for candidates to address. That fact was brought to light by the next speaker, who questioned why all candidates couldn’t address the membership.

“That endorsement is the problem. We want to hear from more Democrats.”

Lecky told the FDC membership that his email to Stelmok containing the questionnaire didn’t return any delivery errors and that he extended the deadline to accommodate her. Stelmok’s questionnaire states she was “uninvited” to speak.

The debate continued for several more minutes before the FDC moved to endorse local candidates, eventually putting the party’s backing behind school board candidates Andy Wolfenbarger (Ward 1), incumbent Katie Pomeroy (Ward 2), Annie Langdon (Ward 3) and incumbent Malvina Kay (Ward 4). According to the agenda, neither Pomeroy or Kay responded to the FDC’s questionnaire.

The FDC’s endorsements for Fredericksburg City Council were given to sitting school board member Matt Rowe (Ward 1), Joy Crump (Ward 2), incumbent Susanna Finn (Ward 3) and incumbent Chuck Frye (Ward 4).

Cowles and Humphries earned the endorsements for Sheriff and Commonwealth Attorney, respectively.

Election Day is 115 days away on Tuesday, November 4th.