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. |
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?
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Sooner Politics
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