HAYWOOD COUNTY GOP - FAULTERS

The new leadership of the Haywood County Republican Party, Michael Loomis and Vickie Reece, began their term in office with their first official Executive Committee meeting yesterday evening. The Executive Committee meeting is held on the first Thursday of each month. Michael kept his only campaign promise of keeping the meeting under “twenty” minutes. In fact, with all the pressing issues pending, he and Vickie were able to complete that first meeting in zero minutes. Congratulations to Michael and Vickie on that monumental accomplishment.

Before the April 28th elections for the Chair of the Haywood County Republican Party, the three candidates, Rick Stello, Le Cossette, and Michael Loomis, were each given three minutes to address the voting members of the Executive Committee. Three minutes to establish what they were committed to doing:

1) To unite a fractured County Party;

2) To fill the eighteen vacant Precinct Chair positions (the lifeblood of the Party), a 68% vacancy rate;

3) To make the Haywood County Republican Party relevant once again with our County elected officials and our voters;

4) To attract much-needed new, young and elder, active members and volunteers; and,

5) To spread the Republican conservative message;

Two candidates, Rick and Le, used those three minutes to lay out their vision, commitments, and promises to take specific action to address these critical shortcomings within the Haywood County Republican Party—commitments that would have led to the party's unification, relevance, and growth.

However, the individual subsequently elected, Michael Loomis, who verbally struggled to address the voters, had only one promise and commitment. His commitment to those who would be voting for the next Chair of the Haywood County Republican Party was that he would use his extensive leadership, experience, and skills to keep all future Executive Committee Meetings to under “twenty” minutes so members could get back home sooner— “twenty” minutes a month to work as a group to fix all of the critical issues noted above.

What could motivate a group of supposedly intelligent, common-sense adults to vote for an individual whose only qualifications for the Chair position were his friendliness, ease to be influence, and ease to be intimidated by the two or three individuals who wanted to maintain their control over the county party without having to be the Chair and without having to be responsible for all the hard, complex, time-consuming work that went with that position?

What could motivate a group of supposedly intelligent, common-sense adults to vote for an individual whose only commitment to them was that he would keep their once-a-month Executive Committee meetings to under “twenty” minutes?

Were these individuals, who conspired the evening before the election to throw the election in favor of this unqualified individual, truly so easily blinded by the mistruths and fabricated fears made towards the two other candidates, to recognize that the individual they chose to vote for had no vision, no plan, or no path forward? Or did it just not matter to them that their vote would bring no change to the County Party’s growing deterioration and ultimately lead to its collapse?

Can we possibly believe that we have a group of members within our Executive Committee—who had committed to Haywood County Registered Republicans to work tirelessly on their behalf—who were so inspired by knowing that if they elected Michael Loomis and Vickie Reece, they wouldn’t have to waste more than “twenty” minutes of their valuable time each month working for the greater good of the Haywood County Republican Party?

Were they so gullible to the mistruths spread to them by one self-centered, corrosive individual that they even considered the very real concerns that voting for someone with no personality for such a role, no commanding presence, and no leadership skills, no vision, and no plan for growth, would have on the survival of the County Party?

Several of those swayed by the mistruths and fearmongering perpetrated on them were individuals I held in high respect. These were individuals whom I had believed would always have the wisdom, strength, and common sense to recognize the truth and do what was in the best interest of the Haywood County Republican Party and our county constituents. Individuals who I believed understood the value and necessity of having a strong leader, even knowing they would not always agree with that leader, over one who would bend and sway with the wind, unable to make difficult decisions in fear of displeasing the few.

Now?

I implore all of the truly strong conservative Christian Republicans in Haywood County to heed the words on this poster.

We have a critical mid-term election rapidly approaching, and the current leadership of the Haywood County Republican Party is neither capable nor even understands what it is going to take to ensure Haywood County remains red and, as in past elections, plays a significant role in carrying North Carolina for the Republican Party.

The Haywood County Republican Party is in the fight of its lifetime to remain solvent with strong leadership capable of laying out a path to victory and capable and willing to represent Haywood County Registered Republicans on the road forward. We need each of you to find the inner strength to step out of your comfort zone and help rescue the County Party from certain doom.

To be continued!