October Newsletter - Busy Summer and Fall
Wow! How time Flies!
The leaves are finally starting to turn which means the 2019 election are upon us we only have a year until the 2020 election. But more on that later. For now, let’s catch up.
As always, it’s been a busy summer.
We stared out in June with a very exciting training session given by Jim Reavis and his team. You might remember that I attended a Leadership Program in Denver last January led by Jim and was so impressed that we arranged for him to fly up from Arkansas to share his insight with Eagle County Republicans.
Jim and his 2 associates have made many transformations in the Arkansas political scene and with their help, we have made some basic changes to how we are organized. Committees have been formed to perform autonomous functions with minimal oversight with chairman whose responsibility it is to set goals and achieve objectives. District Captains have also been assigned new boundaries and more clearly defined roles .
The 4th of July followed with float preparation and dinner. The parade itself was a huge success. I can’t ever remember getting so much positive feedback as we moved through town and hopefully that will continue in the upcoming election cycle.
July also was the Quarterly Meeting, dubbed “Let’s Get the Ball Rolling”. District Captains were elected and Committee chairs appointed. This is the time for everyone to step up and sign up.
Every committee needs volunteers and every chairman needs help. This next election will require the maximum effort from all of us. Attached you will find a list of District Captains and Committee chairs with their contact info. Please contact one of them and see what you can do to help. They can’t do it alone.
August was really packed and started when we had the State Party up here for a “messaging” presentation. CEO Steve House, Sec Kristi Burton Brown, Executive Director Lx Fangonilo were very helpful and creative as to the correct ways to address the questions raised during this election. They gave concrete examples of how to express your point of view in a positive way without engaging in conflict and/or criticism. As they pointed out, it’s a fine line that’s often hard to walk but produces the best results.
We also had representatives of the Trump and Gardner teams who shared their plans for success in 2020. And the Independence Institute offered their expertise on the pros of voting against the ballot measure known as CC which, if passed, would effectively strip TABOR of its powers.
And then Cory Gardner was here for a meet and greet in Minturn. Speaking to a full house he filled us in on what he’d been doing to represent our interests and what’s on the agenda going forward. A Trump win in 2020 is mandatory if we want the economy to continue to grow. One of Cory’s big wins was getting the Bureau of Land Management moved to Grand Junction from DC. Unfortunately we had some disruption from the Dems who turns out to raise a little hell but Cory handled it very well.
And then, Nikki Haley was in Denver doing some PR for Cory Gardner and I was invited. Not sure how I made the cut but all I can say is I’m glad I did!
This is a woman who should serve as an inspiration to us all.
Nikki Haley was born on January 20, 1972, in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Sikh immigrants from Punjab, India.
As a 13 year old, her parents put her to work keeping the books in their family business. It was there that she witnessed how hard it was to make a dollar and how easy it seemed for the government to take it. After graduating from Clemson with a degree in accounting, she expressed this view to her mother who told her to stop complaining and do something about it.
And she did. She ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Republican Larry Koon, the longest serving member of the House at the time.
As a state rep she encountered opposition when she proposed a bill requiring members to vote on the record. Their practice had been a simple aye or nay. They refused to allow the bill to go forward so she went around the state asking constituents if they knew how their business was being conducted. This created a stir at the state capital. When she returned she found she had been removed her from all of her committee positions.
So she ran for Governor, campaigning around the state for transparency in government, women’s rights and abortion reform.
On November 22, 2016, president-elect Donald Trump picked Haley to become the United States ambassador to the United Nations. She was the first woman to be named as part of his administration. She was confirmed by 96-4. “Governor Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country,” Trump said in a statement. “She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage.”
And finally the summer concluded with our Lincoln Day Dinner at the Gypsum Creek Club. Both Republican House Leader Patrick Neville and Republican Senate Leader Chris Holbert shared the podium as guest speakers. What a great night! Their jobs are made more difficult since the Ds
are in control and it’s a change we need to work hard to make. Even the one vote lead we had in the previous session allowed us to control some of the more egregious votes.
Oh- did I forget to mention Gypsum Days and The Eagle Fair and Rodeo?
October slowed down with only the State Fall Meeting in Thornton. It was a pretty routine event mostly dealing with bylaws changes and a few other housekeeping items.
And as an FYI, the petition to bring the question of the Electoral College issue to a vote gathered almost twice the number of required signatures so it will be on the ballot in 2020. The petition to recall Polis fell short so we’ll have to control him by controlling the legislature.
As for the 2019 ballots- we’ll end something out separately on the issues and our positions.
I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted just writing about it. But I think we’ve done a lot to set the stage for the election season. Once the holidays are over we’ll go into full campaign mode as the Presidential primary is March 3 followed by Caucus, County Assembly, State Convention, National Convention and election with everything else squeezed in between. We’re also attaching the 2020 election schedule so you can start saving the dates now.
So this is it until after the holidays but remember we have our last quarterly meeting of 2019 on October 9 and the first one of the new year in January, date TBD.
Kaye Ferry
Chairman