DIANA IREY VAUGHAN: A POLITICAL JOURNEY

 

At the end of this year, one of the most remarkable political careers in Washington County history will end. For 28 years, (1996-2023) Diana Irey Vaughan has served as an elected Republican representative to the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

For most of Irey Vaughan’s career, the position of minority commissioner in our county that was solidly Democratic was not a sought-after elected office. It required patience and political skill. With the Commissioner’s acumen, Washington County Republicans began building a grassroots organization that would give them a majority in voter registration. Finally, in November 2019, aided by a Democratic theft scandal in the Clerk of Courts Office, Ms. Irey Vaughan was catapulted into the Chairman’s chair on the Board of Commissioners.

Diana began her journey as Washington County’s youngest commissioner and the only woman ever elected to the position in 1996.  Early on, she endured many of the inevitable slights common in the workplace when women break through the glass ceiling in politics.  Diana’s short stature, young age, and lack of experience made her an easy target. However, her learning curve was quick.

Fellow Republican James McCune Esq., now county chief of staff,  recalled Diana’s first campaign and beginning years as a commissioner when he was county solicitor. “I remember one early agenda meeting when the other two commissioners vehemently disagreed with her decision and became very loud and intimidating.  She stood ‘toe to toe’ with them and did not flinch or give an inch.  Everyone in the room was impressed.”

Over her years as commissioner, Diana told me one accomplishment stands out, “I volunteered in the Washington County Correctional Facility encouraging female offenders in personal development. Occasionally, I see or hear from women I mentored who are still appreciative of the time I spent with them.” For the Commissioner, the needs of county residents trumped party politics.

In the Commissioner’s years as the minority representative, Diana saw her role as providing a voice for conservative values.  Ms. Irey Vaughan believes in the Republican principles advanced by Ronald Reagan. However, she was able to put ideology aside to work with the Democratic commissioners for the betterment of the county.  Diana’s goal was community service, not political upheaval.

There were dark clouds early in the Commissioner’s final term, after she assumed the office of Commissioner Chairman, the highest political position in Washington County. Republican officials, elected to serve in the normally mundane Row Offices, began testing the limits of their political power.

The Washington County Republican Party wanted a house cleaning of career civil servants from the previous Democratic administration, no matter how well they performed. Diana’s Republican running mate and fellow commissioner, Nick Sherman, often sided with the dissidents when it was politically expedient.

The Pandemic. While Commissioner Irey Vaughn was settling into her new office as Chairperson, COVID-19 was developing into a nationwide pandemic. By the spring of 2020, there was a full-blown public health crisis. Early on, then-President Trump passed most of the responsibilities for pandemic containment to the individual states. Diana often disagreed with the length and severity of Democrat, Governor Wolf’s pandemic policies. There were rumblings among MAGA Republicans that Diana did not do enough to take on the Governor, an impossible task given his constitutional authority.

The Government Study Commission.  Early in her administration, Commissioner Irey Vaughan decided it was an ideal time to form an eleven-member Government Study Commission. The Commission would consider changes allowing Washington County to adopt a Home Rule form of government. While Diana and minority commissioner, Larry Maggi, had different goals, they both supported an election referendum calling for the Commission. The voters would choose the citizens to serve on the Commission. The elected members would then hold public meetings to review important matters like term limits and county reorganization initiatives.  Diana was sure that Republican voters would appoint Commission members who favored Republican objectives in improving county government.

Against Diana’s well-reasoned plan, the Washington County Republican Party, Republican officials in the Row Offices, and Republican Commissioner Nick Sherman launched a successful campaign for a “no-vote” on the formation of a Commission. Rather than seek the government reforms these Republicans had called for in their 2019 election campaign they supported no reforms and wanted business as usual. The vicious Republican rhetoric to defeat the Study Commission included personal attacks against Diana as a RINO (Republican in name only).

Events Following the 2020 Presidential Election. In the 2020 Presidential election, while Joe Biden won Pennsylvania, Donald Trump captured 62% of the vote in Washington County. Our County was clearly not fertile ground for MAGA supporters to contest the election.

However, a group of Republican election deniers began an organized disruption campaign at every public commissioner’s meeting.  They demanded the illegal decertification of the county’s presidential election results and made other outrageous claims about voter fraud and the expensive replacement of voting machines. Diana endured repetitive unwarranted public rants calling for her resignation.

Attacks by Republican “Patriots.” During the past three and a half years, Republican Row Office officials launched an ongoing campaign against the county court system and the commissioner’s office. As Diana sought to address each new crisis, the local Republican Party leadership also increased its personal attacks. It became clear that radical Republicans would challenge her reelection. While she believed she could win in the primary, she decided not to run.

Recently, Ms. Irey Vaughan announced her plans after leaving county government. On March 1, 2024, she will replace Dean Gartland as President and CEO of the Washington City Mission. Her dedication to community service will continue. All of Washington County should wish her well as she begins this new and important chapter of her illustrious career.