NC-02: A shot across Raleigh’s bow from district GOPers
They’re getting rowdy in North Carolina’s Second District. At last weekend’s district GOP convention, the delegates gave a rousing welcome to
Jim Duncan, Renee Ellmers’s Tea Party challenger. They passed a resolution condemning the use of corporate welfare or targeted incentives for economic development.
Another resolution that got approved this weekend took on party leaders in Raleigh:
Resolution # 1
COMPENSATION OF OFFICERS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTYWHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party is charged by the
North Carolina State Republican Party Plan of Organization with the responsibility and the
authority to make decisions concerning the operations and policies of the North Carolina
Republican Party in the time periods between the meetings of the Party in Convention; andWHEREAS, members of the said Executive Committee are constantly solicited by the said Party
and its officers for financial support of Party operations and salaries; andWHEREAS, members of the Central Committee and the said Executive Committee volunteer
their time and serve in such capacities entirely at their own expense; andWHEREAS, decisions have been made at the behest of some Party officers concerning salaries
and benefits paid to officers without the approval of the Central Committee and unbeknownst
to members of the said Executive Committee;THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Republican Party Second Congressional
District proposes that any compensation paid to the Chairman and any other officer of the
Party for his or her service be limited to a salary negotiated and approved by the North Carolina
Republican Party Central Committee and, subsequently, reported to the Executive Committee.
In addition to said salary, the Chairman and any other officer of the Party may receive standard
reimbursement for travel, food, and accommodations expenses which are necessary to carry
out his or her official duties.
What was the thinking behind this? One major player in the district’s GOP organization filled us in:
“When Claude Pope came in he set his own salary at $10,000 a month. He said that he was elected and the governor wanted him as chairman so this was what he felt he was worth. That did not set well with the central committee. Some supported him, but some of us have been against it. There has been rebellion in the ranks. Claude was told not to run again. The Governor’s sanctioned candidate is now this fellow Craig Collins, but the grassroots know this and they are balking. This resolution is meant to send a message to Raleigh that the grassroots in the Second District and beyond are watching.”
Thanks for posting this. Every every delegate to this years convention needs to be educated about this issue.
The NCGOP needs a Volunteer Chairman and Volunteer Vice-Chair not someone that wants this position so that can get a big payday after elected approved by from a secret ad hoc commitee and not the state executive committee.
I hope this resolution passes but I also hope that the delegates can get similar language into the state plan of organization so that it will be more enforceable to future chairman
The time to stand up on this is at budget time. The state executive committee should not pass the budget until full information on the salary line item is provided.
I think all candidates for state chairman also need to be asked specifically about this issue and get them on record.
In Craig Collins case, he runs a one man law office. I cannot see how he could do the job of state chairman and still run that office. If he is elected and closes the office, then when his term is over, he will take a financial hit in trying to reestablish his law practice, but that also begs the question of how he would feed his family if he closes his office. All of this needs answers, and not just from Collins but from all chairman candidates.
If I remember the Plan of Organization correctly, it provides for the Central Committee to hire an executive director and such other staff as the ED needs and they approve. The state chairman is clearly not a hireling of the ED, but I am not aware of any other provision of the state Plan of Organization that would allow paying the state chairman a salary.
The officer who should step into this situation and raise the question is the NCGOP treasurer, but lately state chairmen have been imposing their own lackeys in the six offices elected by the state executive committee. Pope did it by slate. The state executive committee needs to stop letting chairmen get away with this. These officers need to have their primary loyalty to the party as a whole not personally to the chairman. They need to be elected from the floor, one by one, and the chairman should keep his nose out of the process. That is the way it should go whoever the chairman turns out to be.
At budget time during the the dec 2014 executive commitee meeting someone did stand up and tried to bring this issue up during the budget discussion and directly challenged Pope on this issue
While this should be talked about at budget time the executive commitee needs more power to fight back room salery deals and why the Volunteer Chairman and Volunteer Vice-Chair language need to be inserted into the plan of organization by the delegates on the convention floor
Passing this resolution cannot hurt the cause and I Support it also since it is coming from the grassroot level
Since Collins wants a salary he should be campaigning stating how much $$$$$$ he wants that is the only open and honest way too do this… Since he seems to want to make more then the current chairman based on having a paycut reinstated that was taken by the current chairman
Since theese deal are not open and honest everything here is the truth the best that i understand it.. Please correct me anyone who knows more of the truth in this matter
The First District convention has proposed an amendment to the state GOP Plan of Organization that is a shot across the bow of wayward GOP elected officials – a party body to keep official track of when they follow the GOP platform, or not.
http://www.beaufortobserver.net/Blog-3931.112112-9375.112112-District-GOP-seeks-more-accountability-from-elected-officials.html
Very interesting but personalty I think holding our republican elected officials accountable to the party and platform should be the job of the Chairman. The Chairman is elected to be the representation of all republicans and to be the mouth piece of the party. The problem occurs when the chairman’s loyalty belongs to the elected officials that help to get the chairman elected and not the people on the grass-root party level.
so yes we should not need another committee to make this happen but it might be needed but if that is going to be down then the executive committee should make another committee to watch over the central committee to keep them in check also and so the executive committee can always have the correct story
too the delegates when picking a chairperson you should really be on guard really question when you see all the elected officials support gather behind one person. Will this person be a owned chairperson work for the officials and not the party
The chairman should protect the party not the people that endorse them during a campaign
This again is why the chairmanship should be a volunteer position cause at that point a salary looks more like a kickback