BUTLER COUNTY: GOP is Broke?

Here is the latest coverage from the 527 Media in their continuing series (here and here) to paint the Republican Party in Butler County as in some sort of financial dire straits.

It is interesting that the 527 Media got involved in this story after receiving a press release or a call from the local Democrats. They published their first story in a rush and without, in my opinion, having done due diligence and sufficient research. The result put Butler County Republicans on the defensive and the facts came out that the Democrats and the 527 Media had only part of the story. Things weren't as bad as had been portrayed. The Democrats claimed, and the paper asserted without having been able to contact the landlord, that the Republicans hadn't paid their rent on the headquarters. A claim so ridiculous, I dismissed it immediately as overreach.

The next day, the 527 Media had to do a second piece cleaning up their mess. It was revealed that Nancy Nix was ambushed (my words) by a reporter on the phone while at an event. Of course, the 527 Media never disclosed that fact. Truth is that the GOP operates several accounts and not all of them are reported to the Secretary of State. Some of the accounts are reported to the local Board of Elections. When you add up all of the funds available to the GOP, you find that while they are struggling, the bills are being paid.

In today's piece, we learn that what caused this financial pinch is poor decisions made by the former chairman of the executive committee. I first became involved with the Butler County Republican Party after learning that the then headquarters was the palatial estate pictured to the left. I nicknamed the building the Todd Mahal after former chairman Carlos Todd whose folly this was. Turns out, the succeeding chairman, Tom Ellis, also spent more on facilities than the party really could afford.

There is one name missing from all of this coverage and that is Judy Shelton, the chairman of the Central Committee.I have never understood how she manages to slither away from all of the controversy, but mark my words she has to own some of the responsibility too.

Dave Kern, the current chairman of the executive committee, has to do a better job of reigning in the finances and get the party focused, once again, on LOCAL politics and let the Mitt Romney's of the republican Party fend for themselves. Also, the party's rank and file needs to have more access and hear regular reporting on the party's finances. A significant reason for this fiasco is that the average member of the Central Committee has NO IDEA what the financial situation of their party actually looks like.

SIDEBAR: I laugh hysterically whenever I see Sheriff Spotlight acting like he is some kind of fiscal conservative... This...

“It used to be the party would give money to local candidates,” but that ended year ago, said Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, now in his third term. “I think they would like to give to candidates, but they don’t have any money.”

Jones, with a campaign war chest of more than $200,000, said he supports the party by attending fundraising events, but writing a check to the party is not something he is willing to do. The sheriff said the county GOP has grown into a “big, fat machine” that can’t be sustained in a down economy.

“I have been asked would I be interested in donating money to the party every year,” Jones said.

He declines the party’s request, saying “it is just too hard to raise.” But the sheriff does give up some of his campaign’s cash to support select individual candidates seeking election.

...is HYSTERICAL!

Just remember, folks, he has $200,000 and won't give a dime of it to the party that supports him. I have no doubt that the BCRP will support him again, too, just like they always have.....

Anyway, this is just another of my many attempts to ask the Butler County Republican Party to clean their house and get their crap in order. I expect it to be received with the same warmth and respect that I have always gotten from the Powers That Be over there, but I hope that enough members have had enough to actually do something about it and change the culture in what is clearly a troubled party.