News

THE GOP BLAST!
A newsletter of the Santa Cruz County Republican Party
2507 N. Grand Ave., Ste D
Nogales, AZ 85621

February-March 2008 Vol. 2

SO, WHO’S IN CHARGE?

In case you’re wondering who’s in the leadership of the Santa Cruz County Republican Party, here’s the info.

Gina Romerois the County Chairman; Joan Ellinwoodis the Vice-chairman. Carmen Noriega is the secretary; Jan Smith-Flórez is treasurer.

In addition to the officers, all precinct committeemen are part of the Central Committee. We currently have about 15 precinct committeemen—and we’re entitled to about 61. So, see the article below about how you can become a precinct committeeman.

The Central Committee meets the first Saturday of each month at 9:30 a.m. We meet in a variety of places, so call Gina at 281-0455 or Jan at 270-4427 to get the latest info. Everyone is welcome, so come join us!
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MARCH 13 IS LINCOLN DAY!
Our big fundraiser is our Lincoln Day Dinner—and this year it is March 13 at Esplendor Resort in Rio Rico. Cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m.; the dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.

Our speakers are Arizona National Committeeman Bruce Ashand Candidate for U.S. Congress in District 8 Tim Bee. We are thrilled to welcome these to Republican leaders to Santa Cruz County.

The cost is $40 per person (remember this is a fundraiser). Call 398-2192 for reservations or send your check to the SCCGOP at 2507 N. Grand Ave, Ste. D, Nogales, AZ 85621.

Come and enjoy a great night! Oh, yes, there are door prizes, too. So come check it out.
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WHAT’S A PRECINCT COMMITTEEMAN?

Glad you asked! There are two types of precinct committeemen (which also includes women). One is elected and one is appointed.

The elected precinct committeemen actually get signatures on a nominating petition (usually about 5-15 names) and run in the September primary. Elected pc’s have the right to vote at the state GOP meetings.

Appointed precinct committeemen are nominated by the County GOP Chair-man and appointed by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. They can vote at the County meetings, but not at the state meetings.

How many precinct committeemen each precinct can have is determined by the number of registered Republicans in that precinct. We have about 61 slots now, but with great registration drives we plan, we can get even more.

But, we only have about 15 precinct committeemen right now, so you can see there’s probably a spot for you! Call Gina and she’ll tell you how to do this. Or, if you can’t, do you know someone who can?
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REPUBLICAN WOMEN MEET

The Santa Cruz Valley Republican Women have just celebrated the first anniversary of their organization. The group is part of the Federation of Republican Women, and the Arizona Federation. The group encourages men to join as associate members, too.

The SCVRW organized in January 2007. Jan Smith-Flórez is the president. They meet at the Esplendor Resort on the first Monday of each month at noon. The next meeting is March 3. The cost is $20 per person.

Join the group and enjoy a lovely lunch, great GOP guests, and lots of good info.

The president of the Arizona Federation, Cyndi Collins of Tucson, is an associate member!

In 2007, the group enjoyed speakers including Secretary of State Jan Brewer, State Senate President Tim Bee, State Representative Jonathan Paton, among many others.
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SO WHO’LL IT BE?

We don’t know who the Republican presidential candidate will be yet, but you can be sure your local GOP will be supportive. As Jan Brewer says, “A bad Republican is better than any Democrat.” As James Carville (yes, the Democrat) says, “Elections have consequences.”

Think about it! Be sure you vote.
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CLEAN ELECTIONS $5’S

Are you familial with the $5 contribution all candidates who wish to run as a “clean election” candidate. Each must get a specified number of individual $5 contributions to entitle him or her to the public funds available.

While we have lots of problems with the “clean elections” scheme, we can do more to change it when we’ve been successful in it. Do you agree?

In any event, when a Republican asks for a $5 contribution to qualify for clean elections money, please give. And, you can give to more than one person running for the same office.

Until we can abolish this by an initiative process (necessary because it was enacted by an initiative process) or have a court find it is illegal, we have to live with it. So, be ready to give the $5 to all Republican candidates running. Most will have a website that lets you give on line.
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You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift;
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong;
You cannot help the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer;
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred;
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich;
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn;
You cannot build character and courage by doing for [people]what they could and should do for themselves.
---- Abraham Lincoln