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| Matt Maddock |
Due to the vacancies in the Oakland County Precinct Delegate positions the Oakland County Republican Party Chair, Theresa Mungioli, submitted the new delegate allotment for the 2016-2018 term. There is a group that is not happy with that allotment as it is a reduction from previous terms.
Here is what former Senate Candidate and leader of the group Battle Cry Matt Maddock had to say:
The fear though has been with all these open vacancies for outsiders, such as Democrats and Libertarians to come in and wreck havoc within the party. Already there has been a reported influx of Libertarians taking these vacancies to infiltrate the Oakland Republican party and this is probably also happening statewide and nationwide.
The Republican Party in Michigan narrows the options for voters as it pertains to the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Judges as well as College Trustees and Regents.
Early this afternoon, the Oakland County Republican Chair - Theresa Mungioli issued the following Statement
Dear Oakland County Precinct Delegates,
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| Theresa Mungioli |
Today I submitted the Oakland County Precinct Delegate allotment for the 2016-2018 election cycle. The number is lower than it is today. This was not an easy decision to make, however after the County Convention last week and everyone that wanted to go the State Convention was elected, it was one that made sense. For the past several years I have heard complaints about why are there more PDs than spots to the State Convention. We elect 306 Delegates and 306 Alternates to the State Convention. This past County Convention was the first time in many years that there has not been an argument over who should go to the State Convention. We were able to elect everyone that wanted to go and even elect guests to open spots. Only the 14th District filled all Delegate and Alternate spots. There are almost 100 Alternate spots open between the other three districts.
Decisions are not made based on stories alone, so let me share some information and numbers with you:
Michigan Law (MCL 168.623a) designates the County Party Chairman is responsible for determining the Precinct Delegate allocation using a formula based on the 2014 vote for Secretary of State. This is not a new law and has been implemented by County Chairs for over 20 years. The process must be uniformly applied across all precincts in the county.
Today there are 903 elected Precinct Delegates (PD). There are 1700 allocations. So approximately 53% of the PD spots are full.
The numbers this year would change based on the 2014 Secretary of State vote, new precincts created in some communities and PDs that moved or choose not to be involved.
At the recent County Convention, only 435 PDs attended the convention – around 50%.
Many PDs have not been involved since they were elected. They ran to support a candidate in 2014, we have not seen or heard from them since then and they may not seek re-election. PD positions are for grassroots activists, people who want to be involved and help the Republican Party elect its candidates, not just for one issue/candidate and disappear. You are the grassroots and know the active PDs in your community.
Some will complain that I am preventing the grassroots activists from getting involved. And they are entitled to their opinion. The reason for changing the number is as simple as what I laid out above and not some conspiracy theory to keep you from being elected. We have a strong base of grassroots conservative PDs in Oakland County and we need to keep those that want to be involved active in the party. For those that prefer a short term role, there are many other volunteer opportunities available.
With the race in your local precinct, it is up to the voters to elect the best representative for your precinct. And when we get to the county convention, we can select our delegates and alternates to the state convention. OCRP is not going to public events to recruit PDs to run against you or create contested races, unlike other activists. We will host PD campaign class so you can run an effective campaign in your precinct. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.
I know you have questions and want the opportunity to be heard. Please contact me at chair@oaklandgop.net and I will answer your questions. As I get your questions, I will put together a PD newsletter to address them as well. I will also be coming to your community to get you to sign up again as a Precinct Delegate. Watch for an email announcing where we can meet.
Thank you for all you do for the Republican Party. I look forward to working with you.
Yours in freedom and liberty,
Theresa Mungioli
OCRP Chairman
Even with the reduction of delegates the facts that remain are 1) that anyone can run for a delegate and 2) you have to put in the effort to win the seat.
Perhaps the reason some are complaining so loudly is that they will now have to work for their seat and isn't that what conservatism is about, hard work and earning your position through merit?
Perhaps the reason some are complaining so loudly is that they will now have to work for their seat and isn't that what conservatism is about, hard work and earning your position through merit?
Ron, I could not agree with your last comments more. My precinct is losing two spots, formerly held by my daughters. I am proud of Theresa taking these difficult steps and this is not her last gasp as Matt stated.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've heard from those upset with this adjustment, they want precinct delegates where they want them - not necessarily where there are, and long have been, openings. They also want only those who will scare, holler and bully others to adhere to their strident and ever-changing definition of "conservatism". They have not effectively made their case to the general voting population, so they just plan to stage more coups in the party organizations. Great idea - then Republicans will lose more seats because their like-minded candidates will be rejected as they were in the '14 primaries. I sure hope more rational, conservative Republicans wake-up and get involved in the process. Someone else is not always going to do it.
ReplyDeletethe fact of the matter is, there are good people in some precincts, of more than one faction, who will be excluded. The inability for the OCRP leadership to entice delegates to show at conventions is exacerbated by decreasing the number of positions. Some are fed up with the fighting and Party officials not making them welcome. Last cycle all across the state there were outside groups messing with precinct delegate elections. Well funded efforts were made to purge conservative delegates, including mailings and lawn signs paid by these outsiders, including the 8th District Chair, sense removed by the delegates. It is better to enlarge the tent if we want to increase participation and improve the chances of victory.
ReplyDelete