I received a (long, rambling) letter in the mail yesterday from Arlington County Treasurer Frank O'Leary, announcing that he "will no longer be participating in events and activities of the Arlington County Democratic Committee [ACDC]." According to O'Leary, last June he sent out a mailing "in the heat of a primary campaign" which "unwisely" mentioned that his opponent "was supported by eight minority churches." To say "all hell broke loose" would be an understatement for normally quiet, civil, Arlington. According to O'Leary, however:
The official response from ACDC...was precipitous and contrary to both common sense and any notion of fairness, causing my family tremendous pain. Further, the end results was totally disproportionate to the offense -- a first time offense at that. I simply cannot see how I can remain a member of an organization that acts in such a manner.
O'Leary proceeds to criticize the ACDC, its chairman (Peter Rousselot), and "a small number of persons with political grudges against me" for the process by which its "resolution condemning me" was passed. O'Leary also claims that the "ACDC chose to act in haste, without any regard for fairness, without objective consideration of the scale of my mistake, without any acknowledgement of the actions I had taken to make amends," etc.
Basically, my thoughts on this letter are a mixture of eye-rolling exasperation, a bit of sympathy for Frank O'Leary, continued disapproval of the tactics O'Leary used last June, and an overall feeling that the level of (melo)drama here has approached "Gone With the Wind" levels. Isn't it well past time to move on from this incident? Why is Frank O'Leary escalating and carrying on with this? Is there any point here? I'd love to hear an explanation from Frank O'Leary or from some of the other parties involved.