- Mobile Edition - Mobile EditionI had to laugh out loud when I read County Commissioner Joelle Riddle's letter to the editor (Herald, March 3) regarding her lawsuit to access the coming ballot as an independent. Is she serious? Does she really believe any informed voter will believe she filed the lawsuit on behalf of anyone but herself? Is it really about the First Amendment and “fairness" as she puts it?
Hardly. Riddle is a former party chairwoman who beat the Democratic drum for years. Party chairpeople don't suddenly jump ship. At least not ones who hold dear the core values of their respective parties.
Riddle jumped ship because she lost the support of her Democratic base, for whatever reason, and found herself floating toward an uncertain re-election campaign. That was her epiphany, not some ideological change of heart or some newfound reason to campaign on behalf of the “unaffiliated."
This is about yet another politician doing whatever it takes to hold office, at taxpayers' expense no less. La Plata County taxpayers are paying for this litigation.
Anyone considering this matter has to ask themselves how any candidate, especially one with such a history of strong party affiliation, can offer such an explanation with a straight face. This is not about independents, Democrats or “unaffiliated" voters. This is about Joelle Riddle.
It seems to me that La Plata County has had about 16 minutes of Riddle's 15 minutes of fame. Time to move on.
Tom Lorenzen, Durango