Appointment of disability community rep for Democratic caucus review rankles advocates

CEDAR RAPIDS - The appointment of an additional member to a Democratic caucus review panel has upset the people she's supposed to represent in the process of making caucuses as accessible as possible for everyone.

The Iowa Democratic Party added Reyma McCoy McDeid, executive director of the Central Iowa Center for Independent Living, to the panel after its first meeting.

'We want to bring every voice to the table,” IDP Chairwoman Andy McGuire about McDeid's appointment.

While appreciative of that representation because caucusgoers with disabilities faced access issues that need to be addressed, some members of the IDP Disability Caucus wish they had been asked for input.

'We found out who the new member was not by getting a phone call from the chair, but by a news release,” said Joe Stutler of Marion, vice chairman of the Disability Caucus.

'It didn't have to be one of us,” Stutler said, adding he's not questioning McDeid' credentials. 'But we are the voice of the disability community to the party and the voice of the party to the disability community.”

Former Eastern Iowa congressman Dave Nagle of Waterloo, who is leading the caucus review, said there was no intention of ignoring the Disability Caucus. Nagle noted he and his wife have a son with mental and physical disabilities, so he's intimately aware of disability concerns.

'Mistakes were made” with the appointment, Disability Caucus Chairwoman Judy Schmidt of Dubuque said. However, she's convinced 'disability concerns will be heard by the committee and that is important.”

Having someone from outside the Disability Caucus on the review panel may be to its advantage, Nagle said. Its issues will get a 'double look,” because the panel's recommendations will be reviewed by the State Central Committee, including the Disability Caucus.

The caucus review panel was established to discuss possible changes in the Democrats' presidential nominating process. The 2016 Democratic caucuses produced the party's closest-ever victory margin and second-highest turnout. That brought extra attention to issues and criticisms, including some large lines and crowds, insufficiently trained staff and contested results.

The committee is accepting comments online (a link can be found at www.iowademocrats.org) and plans more meetings around the state before completing its review by September.