NOTES BETWEEN PRINTED EDITIONS
Historic Lawsuit Over Local Control
For the first time in Massachusetts history, a duly elected Republican city committee has taken its own state committeeman to court, claiming a deliberate power grab aimed at controlling delegates to the Republican State Convention, including the governor’s race. The Brockton Republican City Committee has sued State Committeeman Geoff Diehl, arguing that his attempt to “reorganize” and effectively dissolve the Brockton committee is an unprecedented assault on voter-chosen local leadership. Committee leaders say they did not lightly tum to litigation, but insist they will continue the fight in court as long as necessary to defend both Brockton Republicans and every other local party committee in the Commonwealth.
Volunteers, Delegates, and a “Reorganization Coup”
Brockton Republicans stress that they are unpaid volunteers who give their time, money, and energy because they believe the best government is the government closest to the people. They argue that when local, voter-elected committees are overridden from Boston, the party turns its back on that basic principle of grassroots self-government.
At the heart of the dispute are delegate slots to the Massachusetts Republican State Convention, where endorsements and momentum for governor and other statewide offices are shaped.
Brockton Republicans contend that Diehl and his allies moved against the city committee not over paperwork or meeting notices, but because a strong, independent Brockton delegation threatened the plans of a small faction seeking to hand-pick convention delegates for their preferred gubernatorial candidate.
Local activists say Diehl’s conduct sends a blunt message: the voters’ choice in Brockton does not matter, because a state committeeman can overrule them from Boston. They note that in roughly eight years, he has appeared at only about three Brockton Republican City Committee meetings, yet now claims the authority to dissolve the very committee those voters elected.
Members also point out that if there truly were serious “failures” by the committee, party insiders had nearly eight years to raise and remedy them-raising the question that many Brockton Republicans now ask out loud: if they waited eight years and never acted, why move to destroy the committee now, on the eve of key delegate and governor’s contests.
Record of Grassroots Strength
Brockton leaders bristle at any suggestion that their committee is weak or inactive. They note that only about 15 people reportedly attended the so-called “reorganization” meeting convened by Diehl’s allies, while the existing Brockton Republican City Committee had previously filed a full slate of 245 members at the time of the presidential election.
In addition, they say the present Brockton committee has led the entire Senate district in fundraising, organizing, and visibility, only to be treated as if its work and results “do not count”
with Geoff Diehl and those trying to replace it. To longtime activists, that contrast-between a packed, voter-elected committee and a small reorganization gathering-is further proof that this fight is about control over delegates and power, not about strengthening the party on the ground.
Push to Move the Case into Federal Court
Frustrated by what they view as blatant disregard for the rights of voters who elected the Brockton committee, plaintiffs say they have even explored moving part of the fight into federal court. Their goal is to challenge the use of party bylaws and state-level maneuvering in a way that, they argue, tramples basic constitutional protections for political association and attempts to nullify the outcome of local elections.
While the core case began in Plymouth Superior Court under Massachusetts law, Brockton Republicans say the issues raised-who truly controls a local party committee and whether insiders can nullify voters’ choices by internal fiat-are serious enough to warrant federal scrutiny if necessary. “If we have to continue the fight, we will, wherever the law allows us to go,” one supporter said.
“If They Can Dissolve Brockton, They Can Dissolve Any Committee”
The Brockton lawsuit argues that nothing in Chapter 52 or any other Massachusetts statute authorizes a state committeeman, or even the State Committee as a whole, to erase a functioning local committee that voters just elected. Plaintiffs warn that the bylaw theory being pushed against Brockton would give state insiders the power to dissolve any Republican ward, town, or city committee they “fundamentally disagree” with-on meeting notices today, on convention delegate choices tomorrow, and on gubernatorial endorsements the day after.
“If they can dissolve the Brockton Republican City Committee on a phony excuse, they can dissolve any committee that stands up to them,” one longtime activist said, stressing that this case is bigger than one city or one personality. Local leaders are urging Republicans across Massachusetts to read the bylaws, ask what authority really exists under state law, and consider how quickly their own committee could be next if this precedent is allowed to stand.
A Call to Save Every Existing Committee
Brockton Republicans are now urging rank-and-file Republicans and concerned voters across the state to make their voices heard directly with party leadership. They ask readers who share their concern to email MassGOP Chairwoman Amy Carnevale at info@massgop.com and respectfully tell her that voter-elected local committees must not be dissolved or “reorganized” away on flimsy pretexts.
Supporters say this is not just about Brockton, but about saving every existing ward, town, and city committee in Massachusetts from the threat of being wiped out whenever they become inconvenient to insiders. They are calling on Republicans to stand up for grassroots volunteers and insist that the party honor its own stated goal of growing local committees, not destroying them.
A Battle That May Not Be Over
Despite the strain of litigation and the high price of lawyers and filings, Brockton Republicans insist they will not back down. “If we have to continue the fight, we will,” committee supporters say, framing the case as a defense of basic political and associational rights for every Republican voter who chose their local committee at the ballot box.
They note that no one can remember another time in which a city committee has been forced to sue its own state committeeman simply to keep operating under the law, to send delegates of its choosing to a state convention, and to have a voice in the governor’s race. Whether Brockton ultimately wins every legal point or not, its members say the message is already clear: local Republican volunteers are willing to go to court-state or federal-to stop a handful of insiders from using party rules as a tool to control delegates and silence entire communities.
Signed,
Larry Novak,
former Vice Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, former Treasurer of the Massachusetts Republican Party, and longtime Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee.
