Philadelphia Republican party leaders have decided to change the rules by which Philadelphia Republican party leaders are elected. Now, when it comes time to elect the party chair, each of the 67 ward leaders gets one vote. In the future, the votes will be weighted -- to give Northeast Philadelphia ward leaders bigger say. What's behind the change? Bob Warner has the
backstory in the Daily News. The gist if it is that state Republicans are trying to oust the current leadership crew (Chair Vito Canuso and boss Michael Meehan) and are actively recruiting folks to run for GOP committeemen jobs across the city. The committeemen elect the ward leader. The ward leaders elect the party officials. The leaders in the Northeast are loyal to the existing crew. Ergo, they are going to get more votes. It's a Banana Republic tactic, but very effective.
