| For the second year in his term, Tulsa Republican Party Chairman, Mike Ford, has blocked precincts of their authority to hold their own biennial meetings and elections. He forbids them from meeting in their own precincts (as the state permanent rules require them to do). This past month State GOP Chair, Pam Pollard, held a State Committee meeting to address this matter, and they voted by 98% to insure the precincts' authority to organize their own location in their precinct, but they must return their required report in a timely manner, back to the County Party's Central Committee. The State Committee is the highest standing authority in the OKGOP. Precinct 456 Chairman, Larry Williamson participated in that State Committee meeting as the proxy for Senator Nathan Dahm. A record of the meeting indicates that Mike Ford did not attend. This week, Larry Williamson and the precinct 456 leadership issued a letter to State Chairman Pollard, seeking her intervention in the matter. Last year, Williamson, who leads the most active and organized precinct, (# 456 in Broken Arrow) met in their own residential subdivision and had a thorough and well-attended meeting. Their State Representative and State Senator both attended and addressed the constituents. Senator Nathan Dahm had to secure the mandated packet of official precinct meeting forms, for the official report of delegates chosen to represent them at the County Convention. |  Tulsa GOP Chairman, Mike Ford -(social media image) |
| Mike Ford discarded those documents and directed convention committees to reject them from being seated as delegates. Precinct 456 is a completely residential suburban neighborhood. But Ford decided that the decades-long tradition of holding precinct meetings in homes is no longer to be tolerated. At the beginning of the county convention, Senator Dahm and Rep. David Brumbaugh moved to amend the credentials committee report and add precinct 456's delegates. Mike Ford then joined the floor fight, insisting that Precinct Chairman, Larry Williamson, was disobedient and not worthy to be a part of the county organization. The amendment to seat 456 was overwelming (over 60%). State GOP Chairman, Pam Pollard was on hand that day and witnessed the will of the county rank & file. Two years ago, The Oklahoma NAACP filed a formal protest with the Tulsa County GOP for failing to provide for minority neighborhoods to attend. They were first told officially the wrong location, several miles to the east, but only to find out that their meeting was actually several miles out of the city, and at a rural Collinsville location. City mass transit does not travel to that rural township and those urban minorities did not feel comfortable in unfamiliar rural towns, even if they had transportation. The previous Tulsa GOP Chair refused to meet with the NAACP and left them standing outside locked party offices. This attempt seems directed in a manner to discourage grassroots participation in the GOP. It seems some powerful people don't ever want the County's precinct officials to ever organize a County Committee, because the last time that happened (Summer of 2012) The grassroots passed a resolution to oppose a big sales tax initiative which the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce spent significant money to promote. the tax initiative failed. But the Tulsa County Precinct leaders meeting (known as the County Committe) also passed a resolution to censure the two Republicans on the County Commission, for violating a "No New Taxes" pledge. Mike Ford's term as Tulsa GOP Chairman is ending at the Tulsa County Convention (March 25th) The seated delegations of that convention will choose whether Ford or someone else will serve the next term. |  OKGOP Chairman Pam Pollard SoonerPolitics contacted Chairman Pollard last month after the OKGOP State Committee met and held a vote on the matter. Regarding state mandates for the biennial precinct meetings, she replied; "I am working on the language, but we will guarantee all precincts will be allowed to meet in their precinct if they choose, BUT they must work with the county chairmen on the locations and announcements of the meetings." Precinct 456, of Broken Arrow, released this letter to the OKGOP, for state intervention, in the Tulsa County GOP.  Pam, Howdy! I have now spoken with Mike Ford, and he says the we absolutely may not have our caucus packet for a meeting away from his 'central location' he has dictated for us, may not turn it in after his meeting is over and we may not meet in a house. He is ignoring your instructions to have meetings IN each precinct and that he must 'mail or deliver the caucus forms to the Precinct Chairman.' Mike said he has spoken with you about this, and that you are fine with the new system he is using which takes all control away from the Precinct Committee. Mike claims the forms are the intellectual and physical property of the county party, and he therefore has the right to keep them in his exclusive possession. Kyletta Ray told me that the caucus forms were created by the state party. Mike is determined to make us totally irrelevant this year. |
At a time when party participation is dropping precipitously, the OKGOP leaders are punishing the few precinct chairmen who are doing their jobs well and getting large turnout at their precinct meetings. But then maybe grassroots participation is not what some party leaders really want?
