While the county had a process to fill the vacancy, the Montgomery County Democratic Committee also had a process to determine which applicant would get its recommendation letter (and the likely appointment)Īccording to reporting from The Philadelphia Inquirer, the party’s leadership initially told Lower Gwynedd Township Supervisor Danielle Duckett that she would get its recommendation. If these two candidates are of the same party, the candidate from another party with the most votes is then guaranteed the third seat (you can’t have three members of the commission from the same party). The two candidates who get the most votes are guaranteed a seat on the commission. The board of commissioners consists of three seats. Arkoosh is a Democrat, the judges could only select a Democrat to replace her. The decision would be up to county judges, however, since Dr. Arkoosh resigned her seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on January 11th and the county provided details to the public on how to apply. The 2023 election includes all three seats on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, the row offices, judges, and municipal boards.įilling the Vacant Seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissionersĭr.

The issue came to a head on February 16th when party members met to decide whether to endorse candidates for the 2023 election cycle. Arkoosh’s resignation was followed by an announcement from County Commissioner Ken Lawrence that he would not seek re-election and party leadership subsequently announced the backing of a preferred candidate. Val Arkoosh from the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. The Philadelphia Inquirer published an article on February 15th titled “‘ Ashamed’: Montco Democrats are facing backlash over their county commissioner succession plan,” which highlighted concerns from party activists over how the party’s leadership handled its internal vetting of applications who sought the appointment to fill a vacant seat resulting from the resignation of Dr. Local Politics is an as-needed column on the political scene in Montgomery County filled with speculation, opinion, and more.

Radnor township democratic party