JACKSON — State party officials say three Democratic Party officials convicted of felonies can remain on county executive committees, despite a new Mississippi law meant to prohibit felons from holding such offices.
In August, a Mississippi Democratic Party committee sent a letter to Ike Brown of Macon, Louis Armstrong of Jackson, and William Catledge of Houston terminating them from their county Democratic executive committees.
But The Clarion-Ledger reports that the state party’s executive committee now says proper procedure wasn’t followed.
“We have an elaborate process in our Democratic Party constitution,” state Democratic Party Chairman Rickey Cole said of the process to remove a person from a committee. “It sets out due process rights.”
Cole said the state party can only remove county committee members if they are challenged, and no challenges have been filed. He also said the three were elected in 2012, before the law took effect July 1, and said there are questions about whether the law can be retroactive.
But Attorney General Jim Hood’s office says in a June opinion that state law now bars a convicted felon from serving on a county party committee.
Brown and others were convicted six years ago of discriminating against white voters in black-majority Noxubee County, the first time a black person was so convicted. Brown was barred by a federal judge from having a role in elections in Noxubee County.
That order expired in December 2012, Last year, Brown returned as chairman of the Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee and was serving on the Mississippi Democratic Executive Committee until he was forced off.
But some Republicans have continued to cite Brown’s participation as a problem. In addition to the new law in question, a law was passed last year prohibiting anyone convicted of an election crime from serving on executive committees.
State Rep. Rita Martinson, R-Madison, who authored both bills, said they would keep Brown from returning to the state committee.
Brown, Armstrong and Catledge couldn’t be reached for comment.
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