AP: This Blue State's GOP Awash in Red Ink / State GOP Support to SBGOP Indefinitely ELIMINATED
Posted by: SB Insider | 11/25/2007 5:36 PM
For the past six election cycles San Bernardino County Republican's have greatly benefited from a paid Executive Director program. This successful program was a huge factor in local GOP dominance in San Bernardino County.
This program was the reason SBGOP was dominate in fundraising, establishing a strong volunteer base, lopsided victories for National and Statewide candidates, ensuring that a majority of SB County’s elected officials were Republican, maintaining a respectable lead over Democrats in voter registration totals, Republican club support and expansion, candidate development, and numerous other activities and management responsibilities.
On the bright side, GOP Chairman Gary Ovitt has ensured that the local GOP (through a self sustained donor base) will continue to have an Executive Director and we have found one with the new hire of the very capable Brian Johsz.
Past San Bernardino County ED’s:
Hon. Jim Brulte, Former Senate Minority Leader
Diane Stone, Successful statewide GOP fundraiser
Mike Richman, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner Deputy Campaign Mgr.
Adam Aleman, San Bernardino County Assistant Assessor
John Bressler, GOP activist
Joshua Candelaria, Asst. Legislative Director for San Bernardino County
Hon. Brad Mitzelfelt, San Bernardino County Supervisor
Jeff Gibson, GOP consultant
Jim Coyle, GOP activist
Michael Orme, District Director to Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt
And many other successful operatives…
This blue state's GOP awash in red ink
Fundraising is off on eve of presidential election year
By Michael R. Blood, Associated PressLOS ANGELES – On the verge of a presidential election year, the California Republican Party is slashing funds for key operatives as the party struggles to overcome lackluster fundraising and lingering debt.
At the end of the year, the state party will eliminate what is called its county executive director program, which distributed about $260,000 a year among about a dozen counties to assist with fundraising activities and grass-roots organizing.
Its finances are so shaky that the state party faced the choice of ending the funding or possibly laying off workers from its staff, one official said.
In an era of multimillion-dollar presidential campaigns, the amount at issue is relatively small. Indeed, some larger local GOP committees, such as San Diego and Orange counties, expect to have enough funds available from their own accounts to fill the gap.
But others will face cutbacks as candidates are trying to attract voters in a political environment defined by an unpopular Republican president and the Iraq war. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll last week found about one of three adults approves of President Bush's performance, about the same as his all-time low.
The cuts are “really going to hurt the party statewide, there's no doubt about that,” said Jack Duncan, whose job with the Kern County GOP is financed in part with the state dollars.
“A lot of people think volunteers will step in and take care of a lot of these issues. That's stretching it, I think,” Duncan said. “Someone is going to have to ... take care of the fundraising activity and do all those kinds of things. For some of the counties, that's going to be pretty tough.”
According to state records, the California GOP was $1.7 million in debt at the end of October, the most recent figures available. Its federal committee was nearly $430,000 in the red, records show.
An e-mail sent by regional vice chairman Jon Fleischman to other party officials, which was obtained by the AP, pointed to a shortage of cash.
“I don't know how to sugarcoat this,” Fleischman wrote in the e-mail. The party “is going through a very fiscally challenging period.”
Warned by the party's chief operating officer that state GOP layoffs could follow if the county funding were continued, “I was forced to vote to end a program that I believe is a good one, simply because we are faced with a situation of limited resources,” Fleischman wrote. He later predicted finances would improve.
A statement issued by the party stressed that the funding for the program was expected to end Dec. 31. It did not mention that its board voted last week not to continue the county dollars after that time. The board also defeated a motion to extend the dollars until February.
This is why many sports ban the use of performance enhancing drugs. Another form of doping is blood...
It must suck to be Ron Nehring. This coming on the heels of two illegal immigrants resigning or being fired after he hired them. One of which has filed a frivolous lawsuit against the USA.
There's a Republican Party in California?
Seriously?
Sadly Ron will go down as the WORST chairman in California GOP history. He makes the former "bad" ones look like Reagan!
San Bernardino County was perhaps the exception and not the rule where this program succeeded.
Although some County Chairs and EDs were passionate about what they did and why they did it, paying people inflated salaries to perform in these positions brought in opportunists and watered down the pool of committed Republicans that could have held these jobs.
Statewide, a cushy paying job with a fancy title was far more appealing to a greedy opportunist than a cause driven position that is fueled by ideology and personal commitment.
It also crated a hostile environment for volunteers who became a pain in the ass for some of these people to deal with instead of a blessing to have around to help with daily tasks and campaign work during election cycles.
Maybe as the State Party blunders through the next election cycle it will find the balance it lost years ago between paid professionals and cause driven, idealogical, conservative volunteers.
This was one of the best programs that the CRP has ever had. It allowed for a full-time staff in some counties that would otherwise be unable to afford it, and it greatly assisted the efforts of the larger counties. In the 21st Century, building and maintaining a party infrastructure is a year-round exercise; gone are the days when an operation was only needed in the 6 months leading up to an election. Maintaining a professional corps of operatives is vital to this operation.
Furthermore, it has always been a problem with Republicans that they do not take care of their own. There's a reason why more Dem operatives stay in it for the long haul while Reps constantly turn over into the private sector. And it only costs $260k/year pay the people that will prevent the party infrastructure from crumbling!!! What does that come out to per ED? 45k? 50k? (not exactly an amount that would attract an non-committed opportunist). I don't know what Nehring was thinking, but if this is strictly the result of a budget matter, then they should have tightened the belt elsewhere. If it is the result of anything else, then it is simply ill-advised.