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Party head faces state scrutiny
By DAN DeWITT BROOKSVILLE -- Infighting in Hernando's Democratic Executive Committee has been a local issue for years. Today, it becomes the state's problem. The statewide Executive Committee -- along with selecting a new state party chairman -- will delve into Dom Cabriele's role as chairman of the Hernando County DEC at its meeting in Orlando. Committee members may decide how much freedom he has to do his job. And, according to Cabriele's most vocal enemy, Steve Zeledon, they might also take the job away from him. "I'm convinced he will be removed, because he is a real impediment. Our failure in Hernando County (in last year's elections) has been directly related to his shenanigans," Zeledon said. Ana Cruz, executive director of the state party, said she did not know whether the state DEC's Central Committee, which will hear the issue, will consider removing Cabriele. But the state party does think the ongoing conflict in Hernando's party has undermined its effectiveness. "Our intentions are to help make local DECs a strong, grass roots part of the Florida Democratic Party," she said. "In order for us to better help them, we have to put personalities aside and focus on our principles." Cabriele said the Central Committee is taking up the matter because he asked them to. He is appealing a ruling last July from the state party's Judicial Council, which restricted his power as chairman. He has hired Brooksville lawyer Bill Eppley to represent him. Among other things, the order required Cabriele to reinstate Zeledon to his former position as treasurer of the local DEC and to return the books to Zeledon. It also required all Hernando DEC meetings to be monitored by a representative of the state party and to pay $300 a month to cover the expense of this supervision. The main issue at the hearing, Cabriele said, will be whether he had the right to remove Zeledon. More than two-thirds of the DEC members present at a meeting in October 2001 voted to do so, he said, and that is the requirement of state law. The party bylaws, however, require two-thirds of the total membership to oust an officer. "We think the state law should take precedence over the state bylaws," Cabriele said. He also said he has complied with this ruling as well as he can. Zeledon, he said, is not interested in reassuming his role as treasurer or taking over the books. "Steve is uncooperative," he said. Nothing requires him to hold monthly meetings, he said, and he has only held one since the state issued its ruling -- in October, when the crush of the elections made it impossible for the state party to send a monitor. Besides, said one of Cabriele's supporters, Kathy Lambert, "Why would we call them and say, 'Please come down so we can send you $300 of our hard-earned money.' " Zeledon's view is that Cabriele has been ignoring most of the requirements of the judicial council's order, which is why he thinks the party will remove Cabriele. One of the items in the order required his removal if Cabriele did not comply with the order, Zeledon said. The two have been fighting since Cabriele narrowly defeated Zeledon in the election for the chairmanship in December 2000. Most of the other officers elected were political opponents of Cabriele's including Zeledon, who was elected treasurer. Cabriele immediately worked around these other officers, they said. Zeledon, for example, said he never received the group's account books. Cabriele later held the meeting to remove him from office. A month later, when Zeledon tried to videotape a meeting, Cabriele's wife, Peggy, tried to grab it away. Zeledon hit her hand and the Cabrieles called the Sheriff's Office and lodged a battery complaint against Zeledon. Cabriele also has been criticized for working against some Democratic candidates he didn't like, including Greg Williams, who ran for the District 44 House of Representatives seat.
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From today's Hernando Times |
