Voters keep GOP ‘team’
Committee nod failed to help Gunnison in her challenge to incumbents Barclay, Eichelberger.
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Bruce Barclay, left, and Gary Eichelberger celebrate their renomination for second terms as Cumberland County commissioners at Eichelberger’s election night party at Theo’s in Camp Hill. Endorsed GOP candidate Karen Gunnison’s challenge fell short at the polls.(Jason Malmont/The Sentinel)
Linda Cecconello checks election results with Stephanie Crist at the Democratic headquarters in Carlisle Tuesday evening. Cecconello and incumbent Commissioner Rick Rovegno were assured nominations for two board seats in November.(Jason Malmont/The Sentinel)
So the incumbents won another election — this time for Cumberland County commissioner.
Not normally worth noting. But in this case, the victory by Republican Commissioners Bruce Barclay and Gary Eichelberger sent shock waves through the county Republican Committee.
Sure, the committee lost an occasional race here and there in recent decades — most notably when Clerk of Courts Dennis Lebo defeated GOP-endorsed candidates in the 1997 and 2001 primaries.
But this was the big fish. County commissioner.
Not only did Karen Gunnison — the committee’s hand-picked candidate — lose, she lost badly. In an ironic twist, Eichelberger, the candidate targeted as the weak link by the committee, emerged as the top vote-getter.
Four years ago, it was Barclay — a self-made millionaire and philanthropist making his first run for elected office — who crushed four established Republicans seeking the open commissioner seats. A Mechanicsburg councilman, Eichelberger was a distant second to Barclay then, with 8,600 votes.
This time, Eichelberger garnered 15,330 votes — after being dumped by the county GOP committee.
“I guess the surprise this evening is Gary Eichelberger finishing ahead of everyone,” county Republican Committee Chairman Victor Stabile said to hushed committee members.
Trouble early
Neither Barclay or Eichelberger was much of a party guy prior to taking office. Once they began reversing policies put forth by previous commissioners, it didn’t take long for critics to emerge.
Those critics looked long and hard for a candidate to break up the Barclay/Eichelberger team. They found seemingly the perfect candidate in Gunnison: personable, attractive, energetic, well-educated and well-spoken.
While she was inexperienced and largely unknown, former commissioners Nancy Besch and Earl Keller signed on to co-chair Gunnison’s campaign. The committee endorsement in February opened the financial floodgates and Gunnison enjoyed heavy print and television advertising.
Yet she had her own problems. Barclay refused to campaign with Gunnison, ignoring the committee’s “endorsed team” campaign. Worse yet for the challenger, Barclay and Eichelberger continued to assist each other.
After a “Keep the Team” political action committee emerged in April to back the incumbents, Gunnison’s camp attempted to rally. A late round of costly television commercials did little to help.
Now energized, reform-minded Republicans say the election results give them a mandate to change the committee.
“We’re not planning on stopping,” said Lowell R. Gates, chairman of Keep the Team. “What I want to see from now on is an open primary system. The endorsement process has outlived its usefulness. Maybe years ago it had a place when the electorate was a little less articulate and informed.
“It’s a little too much like Big Brother telling you what to do.”
Changes needed
Stabile said he does not think the Republican Committee needs to reorganize or change the way it does business. He chalked up the Barclay/Eichelberger win to “the power of incumbency.”
“People are willing to give an incumbent the benefit of the doubt unless they are given a strong reason not to,” he added.
Eichelberger said he is less sure that commissioners can let bygones be bygones and resume working with the committee.
“The primary battle “was absolutely unnecessary,” he said. “There’s obviously some things within the committee that need to be addressed and we’re going to be addressing those things in a constructive manner.”
Eichelberger said he wants the committee to look at how many of its members draw a paycheck from the county.
“What struck me was how many people (on the committee) have a financial stake in what the commissioners do,” he explained. “That just creates too much of an incentive to be beholden to these people who are rendering the endorsement.”
Eichelberger said he has other ideas that he will discuss in the coming weeks.
“There’s some very good people on that committee,” he said. “This is not an indictment of the committee. It’s an indictment of the committee system and how it’s being corrupted.”
