Democratic Committee endorsement expected

The Richmond City Democratic Committee is preparing to vote tonight on an endorsement in the mayor's race over objections from supporters of candidates William J. Pantele and Robert J. Grey Jr.

The go-ahead for the vote -- which brought out emotions from supporters and opponents of the decision -- appeared to clear the way for the endorsement to fall to Dwight Clinton Jones, who received the committee's backing in an unscheduled, controversial vote last month that was eventually overturned.

The Democratic endorsement is key in the mayor's race because it likely will determine which candidate is listed with presidential candidate Barack Obama on Democratic sample ballots.

The Pantele and Grey campaigns contend the process setting up tonight's vote is invalid and they spent much of the day filing challenges to state party officials.

"If this is how he runs an endorsement process, I hate to see how he runs City Hall," said Lisa Fulton, campaign manager for Grey.

"We're just asking the committee bylaws and rules be adhered to," said Craig Bieber, campaign manager for Pantele. "Why else have rules if you're not going to follow them? It's really a shame how divisive this has been."

Jones sat in the lobby of the Science Museum of Virginia, where the meeting was being held, waiting to give his two-minute speech to the committee.

"I haven't said a word, but at the last meeting 70 percent of the people said they wanted to endorse me as the city Democratic nominee. My opponents have whined and cried and appealed and appealed again. I haven't said a word. I'm simply waiting here for the will of the people to be accomplished."

Grey did not attend the meeting. Pantele declined to comment as he left the meeting soon after a majority of the 200-plus committee members accepted by voice vote to accept the endorsement process. Mayoral candidate Lawrence E. Williams Sr. stayed to speak to the committee.

Williams left the meeting soon after making his pitch for the committee to embrace an "Obama-Williams" ticket. He said he didn't need to stick around for the vote, figuring the endorsement would go to Jones.

"Ahh, they're going to do that standard politics," said Williams, an architect making his second run for mayor. "I'll be lucky if I get one vote."

The Pantele and Grey campaigns said they intend to continue to make their case that the endorsement process was flawed.

Specifically, they contend that a quorum was not present when the city committee's steering committee met by conference call on Monday lat last week to establish the process to consider the endorsements. They say that nine of the 29 members participated in the call.

Committee Chairman Eric Payne told the full committee tonight that he determined the numbers were sufficient for a quorum because 11 of the participants were ex-officio members that should not be counted toward a quorum.

-- Will Jones