#ncgop: Poole OUT (Who’s IN?)
The soap opera at NCGOP HQ took another crazy turn today as executive director Todd Poole, surprisingly, bid adieu:
Todd Poole, who has been executive director of the state’s Republican Party for 2 1/2 years, announced Monday he is leaving — regretfully but voluntarily.
“I reluctantly offer my resignation effective Aug. 31, 2015 to pursue other opportunities,” Poole wrote in an email to members of the N.C. GOP executive committee. “While I am proud of what we have accomplished together over these past two years, I feel that now is the right time to turn over the reins to someone new with plenty of lead time before the next election.”
Party chairman Hasan Harnett, who was elected in June, issued a statement praising Poole and thanking him for his service.
Poole told Dome that he could not say where he is going.[…]
Mmm-hmmm. Leaving a job without a clear next destination locked in — in THIS economy ???? Then again, he could be headed to the CIA, or witness protection, or — who knows.
This comes in the wake of two very controversial additions to the NCGOP staff. Sources tell us there was quite a heated discussion over these two hires at the recent Central Committee meeting, with Poole speaking in defense of the decisions.
It was probably a good idea to make a change in the executive director position, with a new chairman and vice-chairman coming in. But the task of replacing Poole will be interesting. Will the replacement come from the ranks of the Raleigh establishment — with close ties to certain political consultants? Or will we get a fresh face independent of the Raleigh clique who plays nice with the grassroots folks outside the Beltline? We’re about to get some real clues as to the future direction of the North Carolina Republican Party.
Good. Now perhaps we can have an ED that will work WITH our chair and vice chair instead of working to sabatoge them.
You’re clueless.
I say Chairman Hasan Harnett do the ED job now and get paid to do it.
Agree!!!
I do not agree the Ex Director need to be someone that can work across many administrations. I for one do not want the state party to have to start from scratch every two year chairman term. The Ex Director and the Chairman’s job are two different skill sets and I do not think it is a good idea to combine these jobs again
Agreed. The easiest way for the new administration to keep from being undermined by an establishment-pushed Executive Director is for him to simply do the job himself.
McCrory has so divided the NC GOP that it’s going to be difficult for anyone to be effective in the ED position. Hopefully a good conservative who represents the party stalwarts can be found. McCrory is waging war on the conservatives in the party which will discourage a lot of good people from applying for this position. We are in a mess.
Do you all really have nothing better to do but troll on this man who has dedicated the past 2 and a half years to the party? Shame on you. NC is now totally red in the senate and added a house member thanks to the hard work and efforts of this man and the staff he was able to put together.
Anyone who has been in his position can empathize and understand the extreme amount of pressure that he’s under. I’d like to see you anonymous bullies attempt to do half the job that Todd has done.
As for Hasan, Todd has worked closely with him since his election to help grow him and develop him as an effective competent leader.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves, putting people you don’t even know down CONSTANTLY. Get over yourselves.
NC is red mostly because of President Obama and Bev Perdue not Poole. The GOP is going the way of the Whigs at the national and state level because they refuse to stand on principles. Their are people within the GOP trying to reclaim it and they face massive opposition from the establishment folks at all levels (local, state and national).
First, I am not hiding behind anything. My real name is posted. However, I hope Steve Smith is YOUR real name. Second, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Todd Poole and his staff singlehandedly did all that. Wait a minute…he did not. People wanted a change which is why the elections went as they did. The people I know we’re voting mainly AGAINST Perdue and Hagan. Rest assured that until a few months ago, I didn’t even have a clue who Todd Poole was and the reality is most people in NC still don’t know Who he is.
No one has said the job was not hard, however, we realize that it is time for a change.
Steve Smith Didn’t Todd Poole just hire a liberal as NCGOP finance chair? Oh that’s right it’s our fault. You are full of yourself!
Todd knows the “game”. As for your claim, Steve, of Poole “developing” the Chairman….. that’s laughable! Dazed, confused, and in the dark is more likely it.
Todd Poole won’t be the establishment’s control mechanism any more. Who do they have lined up? Central Committee will disappoint if they hire a crony.
The party’s longstanding practice, at least when the chairman has not run at the convention on the platform of being a full time chairman, has been for the state chairman to interview candidates for ED and to recommend one person for consideration by the Central Committee. To his credit, Claude Pope gave the Central Committee several names of people he could work with and let them make the final choice from that list, but he is the only one, going back to the 1960s who has done that.
Every chairman who has served as ED himself has run at the convention on that platform, and thus had a mandate from the convention to do that. Having a chairman essentially recommend himself as ED when he did not seek the mandate of the convention for that arrangement, may not go over well.
once again I agree with Raphael… and as one that told Hassan that I thought he should keep Poole. I think what Poole did in the past was good for the party. This hiring issues that came up recently is interesting and seems bad to me but I do not know the full truth and not knowing the full truth is troubling to me. I hate not knowing who I can trust.. I can trust something with Raphael posts he gets it right
I do know this that the central committee has too much power and the executive committee needs to put them in check
My guess as to where Todd Poole is going would be to a presidential campaign. That would be something that the campaign itself would announce, and after a party employee has left his party position. NC’s presidential primary will have more impact this year, and campaigns will put more emphasis on our state.