The Sussex County GOP…Something’s Up and We’re Reporting It Here-The 3/10/15 Edition

It really was a most wonderful meeting and I intend to tell the tale. But there was that bit about calling the police to remove a member of the public, the letter “x” and lies told by the PR guy of the Sussex GOP. Over the radio no less! I’m telling that tale too.
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To begin we shall not discuss the incident that had a co-Blogger, of this very Blog-Frank Knotts-being told by police that he must either sign in or he will be removed.

More on that later. But let me give you three letters to illustrate the summary of my thought on this flap:

HEH.

So the 35th RD (Representative District) has a new Chair to replace Matthew Opaliski, who resigned due to a grand jury indictment, something about selling guns.

Matthew has been replaced by Jordan Warfel. There was some dispute about this election, stirred up by Frank no less, and a possible nomination of former Sheriff Jeff Christopher to an EDC (Election District Chair) in that RD.

Also there were questions about quorums and such. I have no idea when the 35th elected their new Chair but I do know that I, myself, have voted for a new RD and it was our own meeting. Y’all remember Eric Bodenweiser, surely?

So I don’t much care how Warfel got elected and I didn’t see Jeff Christopher anywhere last night. Congrats to Mr. Warfel and good luck to you.

There were quite a few elected folks at the meeting last night to include: Rob Arlett, Ruth King, Brian Pettyjohn, Bryant Richardson, Rich Collins, and Cindy Green. More on this later and how yet another Blogger might be influencing this. Thanks to all you guys for coming. It is noticed.

Delegates to the upcoming state Republican convention were made and I was very impressed by the number of folks signing up for this.

So far, wow, folks this was a great meeting….I was very impressed. Tarnished, you must understand, by the cloud at the beginning of the meeting, insert wink here.

I was also impressed by the number of different organizations that spoke, wow. Matt Revel spoke on behalf of the Young Republicans and he was great. As a public service I note that the next meeting of this organization is on 4/25 at the Dog Fish Head Brewery, 2pm. Matt invited all to call him for more info so I will include his phone: 302-258-3581 and email MDREVEL@gmail.com.

As to just what age you must be to join the Young Republicans? 18-40 years of age. Frank might be able to join but not myself.

Alana Keely spoke on behalf of the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club and she always does a great job. She informed us that the next SCRWC will be on 3/25 at the Sussex Pines Golf club in Georgetown at 11 am. John Fluharty of the State GOP will speak.

Alana then informed us that their April dinner will be in the evening with mine own Senator Brian Pettyjohn speaker.

Alana then mentioned something about the vision of the SCRWC and she said there was an “attitude” about women all too prevalent in the Republican party.

Well I just don’t know what this means but I will be interviewing the lovely Alana soon so maybe I will learn more.

Miguel Pirez-Fabar, the Sussex GOP’s Parliamentarian then gave a little infofest about rule changes taking place on the state Republican party level.

There has always been some consternation about the dates of Republican party conventions versus the actual Republican state primary elections. For, oddly but on purpose, the party convention proceeds the primary vote. Thus the elite attending the convention nominate who they want casting great influence on the primary a few months later.

I am to understand during many discussions on this matter and this method is, indeed, preferred by both parties here in Delaware. Keeps the Hoi Polloi from voting in some rogue candidate like Christine O’Donnell.

Fabar filled us in pretty good but my investigation revealed some errors.

First, if I am to understand what’s going on upstate as regards the state rules. The semantics of it are that the state party will ENDORSE a candidate rather than nominate one. No movement of the convention and primary dates and that’s what really needs to be done. The biggest problem I have is that Miguel kept referring to “Article 5 Section 18” in the county rules. I went on to the GOP web site and the sections under Article 5 go up to 6 or so. There is NO Section 18?

Maybe Miguel can contact me and make me smarter about this.

Finally a man I greatly admire although he doesn’t know it. I speak of State Senator Bryant Richardson, who gave a nice presentation at the meeting.

Richardson just got elected last year, I interviewed him, in fact. He was gracious and patient with me, he the editor of a newspaper and me a humble Blogger. His talk that night was great. He didn’t have a prepared sort of speech but he had notes and he went through them perfectly. Bryant talked about Markell’s budget plan and the idea of putting it on seniors by eliminating their school property tax credit. He concluded with his recommendation, kind of tongue in cheeky but food for thought, that the state take a serious look at the Department of Education. Seems that many employees were added with their Race to the Top funds and goodness soon we’ll have Common Core to add even more employees!

So about this fluff with Frank Knotts…..okay, so Frank says in his article, I’d include the link but you can find it, admits that he’s a bit of a teaser. And that, yon ladies and gentlemen is an understatement. Frank loves to taunt and tease and I’m sorry Sussex GOP with your really good meeting last night, that this incident happened.

Frank signs in with an “X” and you call the police on him? Really? Whoever this Bruce Fitzgerald is, he has proven himself to be unable to make sober decisions. Fitzgerald should have just put parenthesis by that X and printed Frank’s name within. Come on, I came in that night and had to fight to find the sign in sheet for guests; nobody paid me any attention and I surely could have walked right in there with no one noticing.

Knotts has issues with the Sussex GOP, not the least of which is the fact that he was kicked out of there. Bruce Fitzgerald should suffer the same fate, at the very least. As for Frank’s issues with the Sussex GOP, everybody who’s stayed with me this far hang in there.

I looked around that room last night and noted that the public seats were almost filled. There was a slew of elected folks in attendance. The RD and ED seats were filled. Various Republican clubs were represented and while Knotts complains that the Sussex GOP is filled with old farts, there was a fine representative of the Young Republicans, a pretty and vibrant President of the Sussex Women’s club….I’ve went to these meetings from back in Ron Sams day until now and believe me that meetings was vibrant, interesting and well-run.

I’ll not go over Knotts’ problems with the Sussex GOP but two things, he writes quite well and can handle that task himself and here’s the one y’all need to think about….

IT’S FOLKS LIKE FRANK KNOTTS AND YES……ME! WHO ARE BRINGING IN THESE PEOPLE.

Indeed Bloggers and social media are the new methods of mass communication but you pay a price for this. Cause you got the Frank Knotts of the world unfettered by the editors and then there’s me, who interviewed EVERY ONE of those elected people in attendance last night and I’d argue it’s part of why they are showing up.

It’s not just me, or Frank. There’s Fay Voshell, there’s other political web sites like politics.net

Truth is the Sussex GOP is gaining interesting and a new life by the common folk out here writing our opinions on Blogs and yeah, sometimes we’re wrong. The Sussex GOP owes Frank Knotts a big thanks because the guy is getting your attention!

Yes my vision of last night’s Sussex Republican party meeting is upbeat and impressed.

It wasn’t Frank Knotts who cast a pall over a real decent and cool handover of power, it was your own people!

And it doesn’t help that your PR guy got caught, ON THE RADIO, in a bald-faced lie. In case yon reader has not heard, Duke Brooks declared that the Cheers people require sign-ins while a caller from Cheers called in and said they most certainly did not.

Somebody at the Sussex GOP needs to shake things up. I’m thinking maybe Vince….who should give me an interview first.
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I do not respond to comments on my posts. I certainly have no problem with such commentary and, indeed, encourage it. But I’ve written my piece and I don’t want to argue it further.

Please feel free to email me at patfish1@aol.com if you want to send me a special comment or have any ideas or information you want to share.
NEXT : Sussex County Council-THEY FOUND THEM! Lots of discussion about roadside trash and despite how boring it might sound there was some intriguing discussion on the matter. Tune in and I’ll tell you about it.