#hayesscandal: Robin’s “appointed chairman” to run for NCGOP vice-chairman ???
We understand communications are circulating among NCGOP activists improperly identifying 11th district chairman Aubrey Woodard — Robin Hayes’s pick to “act” as party chairman — as “appointed chairman”. These same communications are hinting that Woodard will be a candidate for party vice-chairman at the party’s June convention in Concord.
Again, it is amazing that someone under federal indictment is able to hold on to his job and, basically, pick a “temp” to do his work for him while goes to court and fights the charges.
(One has to wonder if Woodard will be touting a Hayes endorsement as part of his campaign strategy.)
Right now, Moore County’s Miriam Chu is the only candidate for the vice-chairman position. NCGOP counsel John Lewis had been in the vice-chairman race, but moved up to the chairman’s race once news of Robin Hayes’s indictment broke.
In the last fifty years, the NCGOP has had two state chairman ask for a leave of absence without resigning. In 1972, state chairman Frank Rouse asked for a leave of absence so that he could campaign for Jim Gardner in the GOP runoff for governor. In 1985, state chairman Jim Hastings asked for a leave of absence so that he could deal with a federal indictment for tax fraud. In both cases, they asked the Central Committee to approve that leave of absence, which the Central Committee did. In both cases, the state vice chairwoman assumed the position of acting chairman. Neither Rouse nor Hastings made any assertion that they could name the acting chairman. Both subsequently resigned as chairman, Hastings because his tax troubles were taking longer than he thought to deal with, and Rouse because Holshouser won the GOP runoff (the state executive committee filled Rouse’s vacancy by electing Rouse to serve our the remainder of his term).
Hayes has apparently not asked the Central Committee for approval of a leave of absence, and he has asserted he can name a successor. Hayes move is a power grab for his faction, and totally out of sync with NCGOP precedent.
What is going on is way out of line.
I am not running or campaigning for this seat.
Thank you, Aubrey Woodard.
Having a member of the Haywood Five’s lynch mob as vice chair would be quite inappropriate.
If this procedure is based on legal opinions of John Lewis, it shows that Lewis should NOT be elected to anything in the party, including to another term in his present position. The state chairman does not unilaterally possess either the power to declare himself on leave of absence or an equivalent or to designate a successor.
After what has been alleged, Robin does not have the right to appoint a successor. Let’s just have a special election of the State executive committee and elect an interim chair and vice chair until the convention in June. I just hope and pray that we can elect people who will have a dose of integrity and are not in it for self-serving reasons. It is long overdue.
What is happening is John Lewis making things up as he goes along, to the benefit of his faction, and thumbing his nose at party precedent and at the actual wording of the PoO. It is a power play that almost amounts to a coup d’etat.