A conflict within the Franklin County Democratic Party that was stoked during last year's Columbus mayoral campaign has erupted into all-out war for control of the party. Several groups want to wrestle away seats on the party's central committee in a bid to weaken the party's most powerful players.

A conflict within the Franklin County Democratic Party that was stoked during last year�s Columbus mayoral campaign has erupted into all-out war for control of the party.

Several groups want to wrestle away seats on the party�s central committee in a bid to weaken the party�s most powerful players. About 80 percent of the central committee could change during the takeover attempt, and several seats already are certain to change hands because only one candidate filed to run in the race. Democrats will vote for the central committee on their primary ballot March 15.

Any large-scale change in the party could tilt its most powerful tool: a sample ballot of endorsed candidates.

�If they think they�re going to change the face of the party by changing who we select and who we endorse, that�s a big bite to chew off,� said William A. Anthony Jr., party chairman. �I wish I could say it�s that simple. I�m not even sure if it�s just that simple.�

The roots of the conflict started years ago, but it spilled over into a public fight during last year�s mayoral campaign between Andrew J. Ginther, who was then the president of the Columbus City Council, and Sheriff Zach Scott. Ginther trounced Scott in the primary and the general election.

However, the campaign revealed a split. The party and its most powerful leaders supported Ginther. Another group that includes Commissioner Paula Brooks, Recorder Terry �TJ� Brown, and fundraiser Melissa Barnhart, who is also Brown's chief of staff, backed Scott.

Scott, Brooks and Brown all are running for re-election this year, and last week the party endorsed their primary challengers. Brown said in a statement that they weren�t endorsed because they refused to toe the party line and �bow down to party bosses.�

Barnhart said she recruited candidates �who couldn�t be intimidated� to run for central committee seats because of last year�s campaign.

Party leaders bully others and exercise �absolute control over elected officials,� she said, and many of the party�s rank-and-file are controlled because they hold local government jobs.

Barnhart was part of a similar effort in the state party in 2012, when she and others tried to unseat the state party�s then-chairman Chris Redfern.

She�s running for her own seat on the central committee against Mark Dempsey, a restaurant owner and longtime Democrat. The central committee fight takes the party�s focus off getting Democrats elected, he said.

"My friend Melissa has become a cancer in the local Democratic party," Dempsey said. �This is the last thing the Democratic Party needs.�

The county party�s central committee has 157 seats, and 43 are vacant. Incumbents are running for another 54 of those seats, and 33 of those will have an opponent.

A total of 235 candidates, including incumbents, are running for the 157 ward seats. About 125 of them are part of Barnhart's slate.

Anthony, the party chairman, said the party has been doing its job to get Democrats elected and that he doesn't know why others want to take control of the party.

�One of my good Democrat friends told me that if Democrats start winning everything they start fighting among themselves,� Anthony said. �We�ve been pretty successful in Franklin County and the city of Columbus... The only battle is to try to control the party and control who we select.�

Party members say they haven't seen this kind of conflict since the 1980�s, when an uprising wanted to remove the chairman. At that time, though, Republicans had a greater hold in the county and swept countywide races in the 1984 election.

�I think it�s healthy to have two parts of the party,� said Fran Ryan, a former party chairwoman. �The leadership has been great, so why would we want to change?�

Several of those running for central committee seats said party leaders try to silence dissent. They pointed to last week's endorsement meeting, where a large group of dissenters showed up but were told they couldn't speak. Brooks compared silencing those at the meeting to Russia or China.

�I think a Democratic party includes all voices,� said Jonathan Beard, who is running for a central committee seat. �The Democratic party used to be the big tent party and I don�t see that locally now.�

Another group calling itself Yes We Can Columbus has 17 candidates for central committee seats on the ballot, said Will Petrik, who is leading that group. He said the group wants the party to focus again on large principles, but also push for a higher minimum wage, city council wards and campaign contribution limits.

�We want to try to shift the culture of the party," he said. "For us that means, how do we make the party stand for freedom, stand for democracy, stand for mass participation.�

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan