Sunday, February 12, 2012

My experience contacting my ORP SCC members

Last week, I updated you on the vote taken by the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee to change the rules of who could be seated on the committee.
We now have some new information about Friday's events. Most votes of the committee, and even most of the votes on Friday, are conducted in the open. However, for the proposed rule change, they used a secret ballot. So, it appears that to protect their seats from a fair election, DeWine and his allies are willing to:


  1. Change the rules after candidates have already filed, and early voting has already begun,
  2. Violate the party bylaws in order to enact their rule change, and now...
  3. Hide behind a secret ballot so voters can't hold them responsible.

Unbelievable, despicable and very, very cowardly. I spoke with a SCC member yesterday, who informed me that in his 8 years on the committee, it was only the 2nd time he could recall a secret ballot being used.
I also asked you to find out who the committee members are for your Senate district, and to contact them to ask them how they voted. It's easy to do. Here's how it went for me. I sent out the following email to both of the members for my district, the 13th.
Hello Mr. Rousseau,

you are my state central committeeman. Can you please tell me how you voted on the rule change that was approved at Friday's meeting?

Thank you!
Bob's response?
The vote was a secret ballot. I have included an attachment that explains the vote of a majority.
Not only does Bob want to hide his vote, he seems a little insecure about how the amendment was passed. Gee, thanks! I didn't know what "majority" meant! And I didn't even ask! I asked Bob:
Why was it done secretly? Maybe because members knew it was wrong to change the rules after candidates had already filed and voting already started?

Why not stand publicly by your vote?
That was on February 7th. I'm still waiting for a reply. I'm sure Bob is right about to get back to me. Here is the response I got from my committeewoman:
I voted against the rule change because I do not believe it is right to refuse to seat a person after the majority of Republicans have elected them.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Joyce Houck
We agree, Ms. Houck.

It's as easy as that, folks. Find out who your committeeman and committeewoman are, politely contact them, and report back to us.

4 comments:

  1. Okay, I feel like I should know this, but I do not know how to find a listing of the ORP SCC. I've looked on the Ohio GOP site and cannot find anything. Can you help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First, you need to know what Senate District you are in. If you don't go here http://1.usa.gov/8P5VTX

      Then, go to ohiogop.org and click "Learn", then click on "State Committee". They list 8 different regions of Ohio. Click on yours and you should find your Senate District with your committeeman and committeewoman listed. For example, my district, the 13th, is listed under "North Central Ohio".

      Delete
    2. Thanks so much...got it!

      Delete
  2. Senate District 24:
    Committee members Nancy Suhadolnik and Jeff Dean.

    I emailed both members Sunday night. Jeff Dean did not respond as of today.

    The following is Nancy Suhadolnik's response, followed by my response to her response.

    Thank you for your interest.
    The issue was debated and there were many good points made on both sides.
    It was voted that this would be a secret ballot and that the votes would remain a secret.
    I respect the process.
    Sincerely,
    Nancy Suhadolnik

    My response:

    Nancy.
    Thank you for your response. I respect your respecting the process.

    Unfortunately, I believe that such secrecy creates a suspicious aura that is a disservice to republican voters while creating a negative public image for the party during a very important election year when it is vital that we are transparent, straightforward and beyond the appearance of the slightest impropriety.

    Failing that, we are in no position to be critical of the transgressions of the opposing party.

    Thank you,
    Ken

    ReplyDelete

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