Drizzt
January 22, 2003, 07:26 PM
Official switches affiliation
By WILLIAM LANEY, Managing Editor January 21, 2003
The party of “inclusion” has lost a county official to the other side.
Auglaize County Commissioner John Bergman announced that he has left the Democratic Party and joined the Republican Party in a news release Thursday and delivered to area newspapers Monday. He also announced he would be seeking re-election in 2004.
“I think that they don’t look at the views toward the middle like they used to at the national level,” Bergman said in a phone interview from his Noble Township home Monday afternoon.
Bergman, 48, said he became upset when the Democrats appointed U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, as the House Minority Leader, when they could have looked at more moderate representatives. She was sworn in on Jan. 7.
“It shows me a lack of willingness to come to the center because Mr. (Martin) Frost from Texas, he was in the race from the get-go and he has moderate views, and, of course, Marcy Kaptur, here, from Ohio, who got into the race a little bit later, is much more moderate,” Bergman said. “The party of inclusion has forgot about the moderate and conservative Democrats, and it is supposed to be the party of inclusion.”
Bergman said he began contemplating the change when House Democrats picked Pelosi for House Minority Leader. He said he made the decision in December, but he wanted to help the local party with its selection for a member to replace Ralph Gillette on the Auglaize County Board of Elections. Bergman was a member of the Auglaize County Democratic Central Committee and helped get Larry Fledderjohann appointed on Wednesday.
Bergman officially announced his switch Thursday.
“This has been a hard decision to make. It is something I have wrestled with for some time,” Bergman said. “I have been a life-long Democrat, but electing Pelosi to House Minority leader was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Bergman said he always has been conservative in his thinking, but one issue that helped sway him to the Republican party was its stance on gun ownership.
“I own some guns, and I believe in the right to bear arms,” he said. “I think if a person wants to go out and purchase a firearm, I think they should have a right to do so. I think at the national level for the Democratic party there is too much control on that.”
But the two-term commissioner, who started serving in that capacity in 1996, said he is not upset with the Democratic party at the local level — a party he has been involved with since 1978.
Auglaize County Democratic Party Chairman Derrick Seaver was unavailable for comment Monday night. He was on his way to speak to a group in Urbana.
Bergman said he has discussed the issue with Seaver and notify him of his decision.
“He understands my position,” Bergman said. “We have an understanding of each other, and we both respect each other. We will continue to work together for the benefit of Auglaize County residents.”
Auglaize County Republican Party Chairman Vern Naber welcomed Bergman but would not delve into the subject because it is Bergman’s decision.
“This is a personal decision,” Naber said in a phone interview Monday night from his home in Minster. “He made the decision and I hope everything works out alright for him.”
Naber added that he has always respected Bergman as a person and an elected official.
Bergman served as Noble Township Trustee for 13 years before being elected to his first term as Auglaize County commissioner in 1996. He also served as a supervisor on the Auglaize Soil and Water Conservation District for nine years and was chairman of the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission in 1999, a commission he served on starting in July 1994.
Bergman said his switching parties will have no affect on the job he does.
“It will not affect anything in the day-to-day operations of the office at all,” Bergman said. “I am still the same person, and I still think the same way.”
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6763804&BRD=2059&PAG=461&dept_id=380634&rfi=6
By WILLIAM LANEY, Managing Editor January 21, 2003
The party of “inclusion” has lost a county official to the other side.
Auglaize County Commissioner John Bergman announced that he has left the Democratic Party and joined the Republican Party in a news release Thursday and delivered to area newspapers Monday. He also announced he would be seeking re-election in 2004.
“I think that they don’t look at the views toward the middle like they used to at the national level,” Bergman said in a phone interview from his Noble Township home Monday afternoon.
Bergman, 48, said he became upset when the Democrats appointed U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, as the House Minority Leader, when they could have looked at more moderate representatives. She was sworn in on Jan. 7.
“It shows me a lack of willingness to come to the center because Mr. (Martin) Frost from Texas, he was in the race from the get-go and he has moderate views, and, of course, Marcy Kaptur, here, from Ohio, who got into the race a little bit later, is much more moderate,” Bergman said. “The party of inclusion has forgot about the moderate and conservative Democrats, and it is supposed to be the party of inclusion.”
Bergman said he began contemplating the change when House Democrats picked Pelosi for House Minority Leader. He said he made the decision in December, but he wanted to help the local party with its selection for a member to replace Ralph Gillette on the Auglaize County Board of Elections. Bergman was a member of the Auglaize County Democratic Central Committee and helped get Larry Fledderjohann appointed on Wednesday.
Bergman officially announced his switch Thursday.
“This has been a hard decision to make. It is something I have wrestled with for some time,” Bergman said. “I have been a life-long Democrat, but electing Pelosi to House Minority leader was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Bergman said he always has been conservative in his thinking, but one issue that helped sway him to the Republican party was its stance on gun ownership.
“I own some guns, and I believe in the right to bear arms,” he said. “I think if a person wants to go out and purchase a firearm, I think they should have a right to do so. I think at the national level for the Democratic party there is too much control on that.”
But the two-term commissioner, who started serving in that capacity in 1996, said he is not upset with the Democratic party at the local level — a party he has been involved with since 1978.
Auglaize County Democratic Party Chairman Derrick Seaver was unavailable for comment Monday night. He was on his way to speak to a group in Urbana.
Bergman said he has discussed the issue with Seaver and notify him of his decision.
“He understands my position,” Bergman said. “We have an understanding of each other, and we both respect each other. We will continue to work together for the benefit of Auglaize County residents.”
Auglaize County Republican Party Chairman Vern Naber welcomed Bergman but would not delve into the subject because it is Bergman’s decision.
“This is a personal decision,” Naber said in a phone interview Monday night from his home in Minster. “He made the decision and I hope everything works out alright for him.”
Naber added that he has always respected Bergman as a person and an elected official.
Bergman served as Noble Township Trustee for 13 years before being elected to his first term as Auglaize County commissioner in 1996. He also served as a supervisor on the Auglaize Soil and Water Conservation District for nine years and was chairman of the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission in 1999, a commission he served on starting in July 1994.
Bergman said his switching parties will have no affect on the job he does.
“It will not affect anything in the day-to-day operations of the office at all,” Bergman said. “I am still the same person, and I still think the same way.”
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6763804&BRD=2059&PAG=461&dept_id=380634&rfi=6