FRONT ROYAL – Frustrated by the fact that some of the Front Royal Town Council have been endorsed by the Warren County Republican Committee, which is specifically prohibited by the Town Charter, local attorney and Virginia Beer Museum proprietor David Downes has formed the Warren County Beer Party, a Political Action Committee (PAC 18-00405) registered with the Virginia Department of Elections.
Downes said in an interview Thursday afternoon that The Warren County Beer Party is limited to town and county politics, and was formed because the endorsement of three candidates by the local Red (Republican) party flies in the face of this spirit of the Town Charter’ prohibition on the identification of party affiliations on the ballot. He said towns that prefer to focus on the best-qualified candidates over party politics often employ such a rule in their charters.
The Warren County Beer Party takes no position on state or national level politics, Downes said, but seeks the best-qualified candidates at the local level and strives to counter the unfair advantage and bias inherent with the endorsement of the Warren County Republican Committee.
The Facebook page for the WCBP describes the party as “The “Warren County Beer Party” is a non-connected political action committee that is open to all citizens that want to improve and revitalize Warren County, Virginia, and downtown Front Royal. This PAC was created in response to candidates that have committed their allegiance to party politics over the best interest of their community. The WCBP hopes to level the playing field in what should be non-partisan local elections. This is the party that will attempt to resolve our differences over a beer instead of entangling ourselves in the quagmire of state and national politics.”
Downes stated, “We should embrace our heritage where great ideas were given birth at the local tavern from our ideals of freedom at the Raleigh Tavern, the birth place of the United States Marines at Tun Tavern, to the creation of Warren County at Lane’s Tavern. Historically, taverns have traditionally served as a meeting place where political ideas could be exchanged over a beer.
“The Beer Party hopes to bring back those days of reason by offering an alternative to the divisiveness that permeates our current political parties. The color purple best represents the goals of combining the best of Red and Blue Parties by forming the Purple Party. Like our town politicians, they should be selected because they are the best qualified for their jobs and not because of party endorsements.”
The WCPB is endorsing Christopher Morrison, LeTasha Thompson, and Robert Tennett, Jr. while the remaining three candidates, Alford “A.D.” Carter III, Gary Gillispie, and Chris Holloway were endorsed by the Republican party.
Interestingly enough, then-Town Councilman Holloway, on Aug. 2, 2011, abandoned his party and filed a certificate of candidacy for the North River District supervisors seat just four days before the Democrat caucus. At the time, he told a local reporter that he had experienced “confrontations and stuff amongst ourselves, it just wasn’t me” within the Warren County Republican Committee.
Downes confirmed that the candidates endorsed by the WCBP did not seek the endorsement of the Warren County Beer Party but, based on their experience, public works, and nonpartisan beliefs the WCBP believes they represent the best candidates for our town.
For more information about the Warren County Beer Party, visit the Facebook page.
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