Posted on 12/19/2003 6:39:57 AM PST by axel f
The longstanding rivalry between moderate and conservative political forces in Johnson County escalated this week, when the moderate Mainstream Coalition was forced to register a new name.
In the midst of ongoing celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the coalition, Olathe resident Tim Golba, a pro-life and conservative activist, registered the coalition's name with the Kansas Secretary of State's office on Oct. 24.
The maneuver, made possible when the coalition forgot to reregister its name with the state in a timely fashion, gave Golba 120 days to file articles of incorporation allowing him to retain the Mainstream name.
Golba is not a member of the Prairie Village-based coalition, which has traditionally opposed ideologies associated with the Religious Right. A former president of Kansans for Life, Golba declined to comment on the name ploy, referring questions to his attorney, Dwight Sutherland.
Sutherland said his client might have chosen to register the Mainstream name because it was "cute and catchy."
Less catchy were four other, unregistered named that Golba registered with the state on Oct. 24. Those names are Mainstream Coalition of Greater Kansas City, Mainstream Coalition of Johnson County, Greater Kansas City Area Mainstream Coalition and the Johnson County Mainstream Coalition.
Caroline McKnight, executive director of the coalition, said Golba's actions were nothing more than a childish prank.
"It's just sort of a juvenile way to conduct business," she said.
Prank or not,the move may force the coaltion to return to its burdensome grassroots name. On Tueday, the coalition registered for the right to call itself the Moderate Alliance of Informed Neighbors Coalition.
Amelia McIntyre, a pro bono attorney for the coalition who also serves on its board, said she was concerned that Golba took the Mainstream name so he could mislead voters about which candidates the organization has endorsed.
"I would speculate that this is being done in an effort to deceive voters, who have come to rely upon the standards and the evaluation process that the coalition applies to candidates," she said. "What I fear is that Tim Golba intends to misuse the name to defraud voters, and that is a disservice to democracy."
Consequently, the coalition might soon start using its Moderate Alliance of Informed Neighbors Coalition title in presentations, pamphlets and fliers. Clearing up the confusion is becoming crucial as next year's races for all Johnson County seats in the Kansas House and Senate approach, McIntyre said.
"The election is going to be very critical, and it's going to dictate what results we can expect in the 2005 legislative session," she added.
Because the organization has been established for 10 years, McIntyre said, the coalition could file suit against Golba or others if they use the Mainstream name with the intent to misinform voters.
McIntyre added that the names of the coalition's two other corporate entities, the Mainstream Political Action Committee and the Mainstream Educational Foundation, are now protected and would not be affected by Golba's registration.
Golba's initiative did not come as a surprise to Lenexa resident Steve Cloud, a moderate who serves as the state's Republican national committeeman.
"He opposes anything and anybody that's not pro-life," Cloud said of Golba. "I absolutely feel this is not an appropriate way to go about politics. ... This is just an example of how the religious right wing plays these little games to be disruptive."
Cloud said the Mainstream situation was not the first time that an area activist has tried to take an established political organization's name. A few years ago, another man registered the local GOP Club's name following an oversight similar to the coalition's. Consequently, the club was forced to change its name, said Cloud, who was the club's president at the time.
"It was moot the day after he did it because we changed the name to the GOP Club of Johnson County and everything was fine," he said. "We got a big laugh out of that."
Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, said Golba had decided on his own initiative to register the Mainstream name.
"He didn't do it in any official capacity with Kansans for Life," she said. "He did this as an individual. (The Mainstream name) is not something that we are interested in or have pursued or want to pursue."
©The Johnson County Sun 2003
I think it is funny that the left and the RINOs got their chain yanked and then have the nerve to complain about it! What a hoot.
However it is a serious situation in local politics that the RINOs be exposed at every turn. State wide policy depends on it.
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