"Bless me Father, for I have sinned"

There are three new Chairman in town running the Democratic, Republican and Conservative Parties. Jeffery Spain the “Reform” Democrat replaced Daniel Ashley after a long court battle. Vincent Scolco is the new kid on the block for the GOP and Michael Casale of Casale Excavating is the Conservative Chairman. Of the three only one is receiving a financial benefit from the Town with a 6.4 million dollar contract for the construction of a water district which has been overspent and is under State investigation.
So far only one of the three, however, has required a sort of loyalty test in exchange for his support. Mr. Spain has apparently told at least three elected officials that he wanted them to write public letters of repudiation of Daniel Ashley and C.B. Smith. In addition to the repudiation letter, one elected official was told he would not be endorsed unless he compelled two people to resign from the Democratic Committee.
If membership in a political party was akin to membership in a religion, one might call Chairman Spain, Father Spain. “Bless me father for I have sinned…” was the old confessional script of the sinner in the confessional. But the penance demanded by Father Spain is causing loud whispers in the Democratic ranks.