Hello LD20 PCs and Friends of LD20,
I hope everyone had a safe and great holiday season!
Like many of you, I took some time off during the holidays to spend with my family. After the hectic November elections, followed closely by our district elections, it was time for me to take some time off from politics and remember what my beautiful wife and kids looked like.
I wanted to write to you today to clear up some facts regarding some emails and blog articles you may have seen recently.
As I stated above, I’ve been on vacation for a few weeks now. Unfortunately, while I was gone, a group of LD20 PCs sent out some emails to many PCs and others that included inaccurate information. In addition, they have posted information online in a variety of anonymous blog posts.
I was aware of the issues that this group raised, and made it clear to them on several occasions (via emails and phone calls) that I would look into the matters when I returned from vacation on January 3, which was Monday. Despite that fact, the group proceeded to try to stir up controversy, sending their email about my supposed “inaction” two days before I had even returned from my break. I was always clear that I would deal with these issues after January 3. For them to claim that I was unresponsive is simply not true.
First Vice Chair
Questions have been raised concerning the status of elected First Vice Chair Roger Dickinson. After speaking with Roger yesterday to gather some facts, it has been determined that Roger was not eligible to be elected to the LD20 board, as he was technically not a PC at the time of the election.
Earlier this fall, Roger moved from one precinct in LD20 to another precinct. Even though his move was within in the same district, the timing of the move made Roger ineligible to be a Precinct Committeeman.
I was notified of the questions regarding Roger on December 7, when the County Recorder’s office sent out an updated PC list. Prior to December 7, Roger was on the county’s official PC list, as were the other individuals whose status has been challenged. We ran our election based on the information we had available on December 1. The updates were not released until 6 days after the election. Simply put, the election was based on the only verifiable information available at the time.
After speaking to Roger yesterday, I am satisfied that this was an honest mistake brought on by an unfortunately-timed move. Had Roger’s move been completed a few weeks prior to or after the date it occurred, this would not have been an issue.
Nevertheless, Roger was not technically a PC, therefore his election as First Vice Chair was not proper.
We will be holding a new election for the vacant First Vice Chair position at our March meeting. I will share more details about the election as the time draws closer.
State Committeemen
In addition, a question was raised about our State Committeemen. I did, in fact, name two replacement State Committeemen to fill two vacancies.
This action is prescribed by the Arizona Republican Party Bylaws:
C. Filling of Vacancies
The state chairman shall appoint a replacement for a vacancy in the office of state committeeman with the advice and consent of the county chairman of the county in which the vacancy occurred. In counties with populations of 500,000 or more persons, such appointment shall also require the advice and consent of the district chairman of the district in which the vacancy occurred and shall be filled by a person who resides in that district.
According to this provision, the State Chairman actually appoints replacements for vacancies, with the advice and consent of both the county and district chairman. The only requirement listed is that the person nominated must be a resident of the district.
The people I selected to fill the vacancies were State and County Party Chaplain and longtime LD20 PC Bob Seals, and David Pellegrino, a motivated young person who will be attending the state meeting for the first time. I sent this request to Maricopa County Chairman Rob Haney in an email on Christmas Eve, which he in turn forwarded to the State Party.
My decision was neither arbitrary or improper, as others would have you believe. You may not agree with the reasons for my decision, but as outlined above, my actions were in line with what the Bylaws state regarding vacancies. There are no provisions in the State, County or LD20 Bylaws that state that the Chairman must nominate the runner-up as a replacement.
Regarding “Team New Vision”
I am extremely disheartened and disappointed regarding the actions of some of our PCs related to these matters.
First and foremost, the disregard for due process as it related to Roger was appalling. This group of PCs got together with an exclusive group of their own choosing, gathered their own set of facts, then acted as judge, jury and executioner, concluding that Roger must be removed. They did not involve the elected executive board. They did not even get Roger’s side of the story. The Republican Party that I belong to and believe in does not behave this way. Roger is not an enemy to be destroyed, he is a member of our party that some people had a disagreement with. There are proper ways to deal with disputes within a group such as LD20; sending out inaccurate emails and posting things anonymously online are not the way to do it. There is no excuse for this disrespectful behavior, and I strongly feel that anyone who lent their name to the January 1 email owes Roger an apology.
Second, the fact that several elected members of our executive board participated in these activities is extremely disappointing. When they were sworn in as board members, these individuals took on the responsibility to come together and work with ALL Republicans in the district. We are one LD20. The fact that this “New Vision For LD20” group still exists is insulting. There is no room in a unified party for sub-groups and cliques with their own agenda. The actions of these board members in regards to a fellow Republican and member of this district were inexcusable. I feel that the elected board members who signed the January 1 email owe both Roger and all of the PCs an apology for their behavior. If these board members cannot get past old divisions and get on board with the district’s common goals, they are not fit to serve those who elected them.
I remain committed to working with the entire elected board of LD20 to build a unified and successful Republican Party. I sincerely hope that others will honor their own commitments and do the same. It is time to put the ugliness and infighting behind us. We have work to do.
And in the future, if any PC has questions regarding my actions they are free to contact me and ask me directly. If some people had done that in the beginning, much of this would have been avoided. I only ask that people are reasonable in their expectations of turnaround time, and understand that people are on vacation from time-to-time.
Sincerely,
-Anthony Miller, Chairman LD20GOP
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