A few words about
Why I'm Running
I'm running to make the committee more effective.
What a County Republican Central Committee should do, in my opinion.
I have been attending the monthly meetings for a while now and also have talked with members of the community. I’m not coming in guns blazing and saying that it’s all bad. But there are several things that I think can be improved upon. This is why I am running.
Promote the Party Platform and Recruit Members
The website has not been updated for several years. There’s some reference to 2018 stuff, but most of the content is from 2016. How are people supposed to get information? How are people supposed to know who is even on the committee? There seems to be a lack of members attending lately. That may be due to illness or any number of perfectly normal reasons, but I think there should be alternates. It’s not good when you don’t have a quorum, since you really can’t get anything accomplished.
Candidate Vetting and Endorsing
I believe that the committee should be vetting and endorsing candidates before the Primary. There is a standing ‘tradition’ that they only endorse after the Primary. To me, this has no meaning. We’re not exactly going to endorse the Democrat, right? We should be trying to put forth the best possible Republican candidate. Not the one with the most money and most signs and the most name recognition. Boundary is the only county committee in Northern Idaho that doesn’t do this. Also, endorsing is not telling people how to vote any more than talking to your friends would be. It is an opinion of who they think is the best candidate. Like most opinions, people either agree or disagree.
Taking Action When Necessary
I think that a politician that puts an ‘R’ next to their name ought to adhere to the Republican Party Platform. When an elected official blatantly votes against the platform, I think it is up to the central committees to do something. This committee has never put forth a resolution requesting any action by any elected official. There should be an admonition or a censure at a minimum. Just a resolution that says “We don’t like the way you’re voting”, or something.
Attending Upper Level Meetings and Conventions
Members of the committee are also responsible to attend Legislative Committee, Regional, and State Committee meetings. I’ve been informed that there has not been a full delegation to those meetings for quite some time. Even though this is a small committee, it’s not nothing. For example, in 2020 at the State Convention, Tom Luna won the State Chair by only 6 votes. The same Tom Luna that brought Common Core to Idaho schools. Could a full delegation have made a difference? I think so. This is a volunteer position and it takes time and resources to be able to fulfill all of the obligations. I am fortunate that I can do that. I look forward to it, in fact.