Local Issues
Greenville County Republican Party Chair Sends “Special Edition Chairman’s Letter”
There are challenges with a few new members of the EC body who are aligned with the splinter group faction and have been a distraction from our goals of party growth …
Greenville County Republican Party “splinter group faction” called for a special meeting last week … and below is the Special Chairman’s Letter sent out with her perspective of said gathering. Read, Learn & Enjoy …
September 17th, 2023
Members of the GCRP Executive Committee & Friends,
This is a special edition of From the Chairman’s Desk offering my perspective on our GCRP Special Called Meeting this past Thursday. I feel compelled to weigh in as former GCRP Chairman Nate Leupp has opined via this 4th District Club newsletter.
Our Thursday September 14, 2023 special called meeting may be forever known as the “Sauna Meeting” for many of us because we sat for 3 hours in a room where the temperature got to 79 degrees because of an AC failure. As you may recall, we had proposed that this meeting be done by Zoom, which in retrospect would have clearly been more comfortable for all attendees. However, after some of the theatrics (I was a little concerned that a few of the speakers might get attacks of the vapors!) and expected theatrics (why on earth was some guy who is a blogger from Charleston be invited to a GCRP meeting), I understand why the offer of a Zoom call was not accepted.
To start, I would like to thank everyone who has complimented me on how the meeting was chaired, and to give special thanks to those that made my job easier – our credentialing and teller team under the leadership of Joe McLaughlin, Tony DiLorenzo who loaned me a very effectively annoying whistle that is a special gift from his father, Nate who got me a better microphone, and last but certainly not least parliamentarian Greg Peck who kept us on track during the long evening.
I also must thank the core group of party volunteers who today are not focused on gaining or regaining some perceived power but instead on the work of the party and supporting it financially. I just got an email from Chairman McKissick’s political consulting company and the subject is Candidate Recruitment – our GCRP recruitment committee has been incredibly busy lately and done an amazing job as they had to start from scratch since this was not a priority for administrations prior to 2021. Scott Crosby, former GCRP EC and Mauldin City Councilman, who is active in protecting 2A rights and spoke at Coffee and Politics on Friday congratulated us on our focus on boards and commissions and said he has been preaching this for years! The night we received the special call meeting email (which we now know had been planned for weeks now), many of us were at HQ watching LifeMark, a real tearjerker about choosing adoption over abortion. This is one of 4 movies in a series the Pro Life committee has arranged – another of the committees working tirelessly to make a difference on a critical and, in this case, fundamental issue – LIFE.
It is easy for those of us new to politics and who really don’t want a career in it but are fighting for better governance and to save our Country, to forget the bigger battle within the GOP that filters down to local county parties like Greenville. There are huge fault lines within our party – think Americans for Prosperity / Romney / Cheney establishment vs MAGA grassroots, and smaller ones – think SC Freedom Caucus vs SC Republican Caucus that are all influencing our dynamics in the GCRP. After being elected your Chairman, I spoke with Vickie Tonkins, pictured here,
https://gopelpaso.com/38219-2/
about her experiences being chair of the Republican Party in the largest county in Colorado (another state the GOP is losing to Democrats). Her experiences as do those of other grassroots conservative led parties across the USA, and within our state, reflect the consistent narrative of “incompetence”, hints of corruption, “Democrat plants” as well as the personal attacks that the political establishment is using as tools to retain power. You might question whether Greenville, SC is really noticed by the nationwide political establishment. But remember our State Chairman is second in command at the RNC, and grassroots conservatives here in Greenville have the unique advantage of the educational non-profit mySCGOP that is a real thorn in the side to the kinds of Republicans that would rather work with Democrats than Constitutional Republican Platform Conservative elected officials and grassroots activists. mySCGOP filled an education gap for citizens who want to get involved in governing themselves, but populism is a threat to self-serving career politicians.
At the local level the primary control tool the political establishment uses is the threat of the GCRP being dissolved. Many of us that have learned firsthand how party rules can be bent to serve the establishment have realized that is a possibility from the beginning. Our passionate, patriotic Christian Constitutional Conservatives are not going to stop fighting for their children, grandchildren and our country because we are tossed out of a political organization. In fact, I have had to talk some Conservative Christians into remaining with the GOP. Many are increasingly disillusioned by the lesser of two evils choices they have when voting. They are also very angry with leadership that does not adhere to the Republican Platform and that has allowed our party to lose so much market and mind share to an amoral, secularist and foreign interest dominated Democrat Party.
Self-serving members of the political establishment have other tools at their disposal in fighting to regain power from grassroots conservatives in Greenville.
There is an industry around conservatism and in our area an alphabet soup of organizations fighting each other for money, influence and the time, eyes and ears of conservative voters. These fights create hostilities and distract from the bigger mission of fixing government in the “blue” city of Greenville, Greenville County where six Republicans joined with the only two Democrats to unnecessarily raise our taxes, South Carolina and our Country.
GOP Sweep, which started with a splinter group that broke apart from the original Greenville conservatives movement that was able to win only one of three leadership slots at our county convention is clearly disgruntled and not accepting of the election results. A social media post from one of their members said “I stole my election”. There are also deep-rooted hostilities between individuals in the two GCRP factions. People who hunger for power and influence are always looking for ways to get it. That effort can create some, as the saying goes, strange bedfellows. Many of the people who were once part of the Greenville grassroots conservatives movement are now allied with and useful tools for what we think of as the establishment.
Because Nate Leupp was not as involved with the original grassroots group (mainly for reasons listed HERE) he was not able in his missive to talk about relevant permanent hostilities that have come out of the events of: (1) a former board member being asked to resign; (2) an internal fight over school board candidate and state superintendent candidates; (3) an effort by some former leadership to rein in the powers of the Chairman to do FOIA requests; (4) an individual involved with Election Integrity demanding to see the voting record of a member who was up for a leadership position when we know that data hygiene of South Carolina voter files is not a priority for the RNC and we routinely see errors in voting records.
The enmity that is being presented as a question of our budget competence is particularly disingenuous. As you will see from the 2022/2023 budget documents that will be posted on our website and that were approved by the EC body both in March 2022 and January 2023, we presented both expenses and revenue with itemized amounts in pie chart form as an easy way for people to quickly comprehend where our money would come from and how it would be spent. If there was a major concern that the information was not presented in “standard budget format”, could the person in the treasurer’s role have taken the time to present the information correctly in support of the body that approved it? As part of the transparency around budget that NEW members of the EC body may not have had, anyone is invited to arrange a meeting with me, Jeff Davis or Mike Voaden to view a copy of our month to month lease for the space where our headquarters is currently houses. The lease document, which was passed by our EC Body unanimously (except for one nay), was already emailed out by the GCRP to nearly 3,000 people back on March 7th, 2022 and presented on the big screen for review prior to passage. Unfortunately some of our ECs are unable to keep their own records and thought it appropriate to call a special meeting to request another copy.
There are also challenges with a few new members of the EC body who are aligned with the splinter group faction and have been a distraction from our goals of party growth, increased voter turnout and candidate support. One individual’s attorney sent a “No Trespass” letter to our State EC Jeff Davis back in June – wonder how that works when the individual shows up at GCRP business meetings? This individual also seems to think that providing a list of people who attended a precinct meeting meets the SCGOP requirement of providing a list of people who were invited to the meeting. I personally struggle communicating with individuals who seem challenged to understand the difference between archived and active business records, as well as SCGOP rules and regulations around these records and party resources to manage them, and the inappropriateness of giving “deadlines” for completing low value administrative tasks to volunteers. I am sure prior Chairmen would get a big laugh out of us asking for a special called meeting to demand copies of minutes from a 2019 or 1996 business meeting, but then again many are asking that we do so as none of the over 30 years of GCRP records were handed over in the 2021 ReOrg transition to new leadership.
I hope this letter provides each of you a reminder of the bigger picture, to think about some of the things you heard Thursday night with new information, to realize that maintaining the hostilities impeding our work is a conscious choice and that we all could be actively working towards the political improvements so desperately needed in Greenville city and county (it is imperative we protect our library board chair Alan Hill who is the target of a petition by the left and that we work to elect Randall Fowler and Knox White), South Carolina and our Country.
Keep an eye out for my regular newsletter edition coming out mid-week. The topic is Lies and Fear and how avoid being manipulated by them.
Sincerely,
Yvonne Julian, MBA, BS Chem
Chairman, Greenville County Republican Party
Executive Committeeman, Southside Precinct
SCGOP Rules (v2022-07-30): HERE
Yesterday we shared with you the CALL TO CONVENTION for the 7 SCGOP Congressional District Conventions coming up in April (HERE). All America FIRST SCGOP State Delegates should REGISTER … and attend!!! Consider it mandatory to #SaveSouthCarolina!!! 😉
Well, guess what … there are 3 1/2 pages of “Rules” about these 7 SCGOP Congressional District Organizations … including details on the conventions.
We won’t repeat the entire Rule 6 here … it is 3 1/2 pages … but click below … read Rule 6 … and let us know if you have any questions or see anything interesting. It is critical to know the RULES!!!
READ RULE 6: “Congressional District Organization” – HERE
REGISTER TODAY!!!
March 28th, 2024 mySCGOP Article: HERE
Jan 19th, 2024 mySCGOP Article: HERE
FITS 2024
Upcoming Congressional and State Convention
EVERYONE who is a MAGA / America FIRST state delegate or state alternate should attend
A few months ago we introduced you all to the every FOUR YEAR SCGOP Congressional & State Conventions held prior to the RNC NATIONAL CONVENTION where we will select the GOP Presidential Candidate (HERE).
With South Carolina leading the way … we know that the GOP nominee will be President TRUMP … but very few people seem to know about these upcoming Congressional Conventions or the State Convention.
South Carolina has 50 National Delegates & 50 National Alternates to send to the RNC National Convention this year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from Monday, July 15th, 2024 – Thursday, July 18th, 2024.
Well … now we know the dates and times for selecting those 50 NATIONAL DELEGATES & 50 NATIONAL ALTERNATES … and EVERYONE who is a MAGA / America FIRST state delegate or state alternate should attend!!! Your attendance is “mandatory” if for no other reason than to “learn” about the process … but to also support your America FIRST candidates for the available positions. #VoteAmericaFIRST!!!
Do you really want Nikki Haley supporters going to the RNC National Convention? Hmmm … think about it.
REGISTER TODAY
If you were a STATE DELEGATE or a STATE ALTERNATE … here is the Eventbrite link to register for your respective CONGRESSIONAL CONVENTION.
All SCGOP Congressional Conventions: HERE
1st District – Saturday, April 13th at 10AM: HERE
2nd District – Tuesday, April 23rd at 7PM: HERE
3rd District – Saturday, April 13th at 10AM: HERE
4th District – Saturday, April 20th at 9AM: HERE
5th – District – Saturday, April 13th at 10AM: HERE
6th District – Saturday, April 20th at NOON: HERE
7th District – Saturday, April 6th at 10AM: HERE
(*Verify all dates and times on SCGOP Eventbrite)
Yes you should go!!! Reunite with fellow America FIRST friends, learn the process, and support your respective America FIRST candidates.
Elections will consist of a Congressional District Chair, Vice Chair & Secretary … as well as 3 National Delegates + 3 National Alternates.
Be warned however, if you want to be a NATIONAL DELEGATE or ALTERNATE, you will have to cover your own travel and lodging cost which are estimated to be around $3,500 … so don’t run for a spot if you can’t go for the full week or would rather spend your dollars at the beach this summer.
SAVE THE DATE – Saturday May 4th
We don’t know the location or time yet … but we do know the STATE CONVENTION will be on Saturday, May 4th, 2024 … presumably somewhere central in the midlands / Columbia / Lexington area. It will be BIG and like the state convention last May 2023 with 943 STATE DELEGATES & 943 STATE ALTERNATES eligible to attend.
At the convention we will elect the remaining 29 NATIONAL DELEGATES & 29 NATIONAL ALTERNATES.
The 2nd reason to show up for the STATE CONVENTION … we have heard that Drew McKissick and the RINO Establishment want to push through more “Rule Changes”. They did this to slow down the America FIRST movement with their “Special Called Convention” on July 30th, 2022 … let’s see what tricks they may have in store for us this May 4th, 2024.
The RINOs don’t have the numbers now like they did in 2022 … but we have to SHOW UP!!!
#SaveTheDATE!!!
Jan 24th, 2024 mySCGOP Article: HERE
HAVE AN OPINION?
Have an opinion? Different or in agreement? About the above or something else? If so, speak up as we want to hear from you! Send your letters to team@mySCGOP.com and we will be happy to share it with our readers. #SaveSouthCarolina!
SUSTAINING & INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:
Make a Charitable Donation TODAY: HERE
Yahoo Finance “DJT”: HERE
Monday March 25th, 2024, will go down in history as a really, really, really GOOD DAY for President TRUMP!!!
First, a New York Appeals Court lowered the insane $454 million court bond payment to appeal the New York AG’s case to an equally insane, but manageable, $175 million bond. That reduction as well as an extension of 10 days appears to be enough grace for President TRUMP to fulfill the obligation and preserve his properties in the State of New York.
DC_Draino (HERE) had the best meme of the day …
DC_Draino Video: HERE
Truth Social goes PUBLIC!!!
- $4 BILLION!!!
But the YUGE news for President TRUMP from March 25th, 2024, is finally … TRUTH Social will be a publicly traded company … and the stock symbol … get ready for it … DJT!!! You can’t make this up either!!!
The government approval / administrative process which should have taken 3 or 4 months … took TRUTH Social nearly 2 years. No, you really can’t make this up either, and yes this is happening in America, in our Republic.
But as with most bad deed … the finalization of the technical merger to allow TRUTH Social to become a publicly traded company could not have come at a better time as he seemingly solidifies his position for the 2024 November election.
Now with public valuation data, TRUMP’s personal net worth skyrocketed by $4 BILLION sending him onto the Bloomberg 500 wealthiest list for the first time ever … and that is before the 43% stock price increase so far today on the first day of trading.
Good things happen to good people … so keep fighting folks!
Yahoo News Article: HERE
Yahoo Finance “DJT”: HERE
HAVE AN OPINION?
Have an opinion? Different or in agreement? About the above or something else? If so, speak up as we want to hear from you! Send your letters to team@mySCGOP.com and we will be happy to share it with our readers. #SaveSouthCarolina!
SUSTAINING & INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:
Make a Charitable Donation TODAY: HERE
SC Ethics Commission – SEI: HERE
This week we have learned how to “track” candidates (HERE) and how much it costs to file to run for office (HERE)! Today, let’s review the Candidate Filings.
Statement of Economic Interests (SEI)
The general idea of the Statement of Economic Interests is as stated, to disclose the candidate’s or elected official’s “economic” or financial interest. Read more about it HERE and in the mySCGOP article below … and have fun looking up the SEI of your favorite politicians!
Campaign Finance Disclosures
Campaign Finance Disclosures (initial, quarterly, pre-election & final) are for reporting the donations and expenditures of candidate’s campaign account. Remember – if you intend to spend any money on your campaign, you will need to open a separate campaign bank account – you cannot use your personal one!
As with any filing, there are deadlines on the Campaign Finance Disclosures that is YOUR responsibility to follow. For State and Local
candidate campaign filings you would go to https://ethics.sc.gov/ to file while for Federal positions (US House & Senate), you would got to https://www.fec.gov/.
For more details click HERE or the mySCGOP article below.
mySCGOP Article: HERE
mySCGOP Article: HERE
Send us your opinion on this great debate … and how you would like to see it solved … by hitting REPLY or emailing us at team@mySCGOP.com.
HAVE AN OPINION?
Have an opinion? Different or in agreement? About the above or something else? If so, speak up as we want to hear from you! Send your letters to team@mySCGOP.com and we will be happy to share it with our readers. #SaveSouthCarolina!
SUSTAINING & INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:
Make a Charitable Donation TODAY: HERE
FITS 2024
Candidate Filing Fees
How much does it cost to file? And how the fee is calculated? And where is the money going?
2024 Filing Fee Schedule: HERE
As we mentioned yesterday HERE, the South Carolina filing period OPENED this past Saturday March 16th at NOON … and CLOSES on Monday April 1st at NOON and as of close of business Tuesday March 19th, 148 candidates statewide filed their paperwork to have their names on the ballot for June 11, 2024 Primary Elections!
Now, how much does it cost to file? And how the fee is calculated? And where is the money going?
According to S.C. Code Section 7-13-40 (HERE), the filing fee for each office is one percent of the total salary for the term of that office or one hundred dollars, whichever amount is greater.
As you will notice, for those full time elected officials like solicitor, probate judges, clerk of court, sheriff, etc … the filing fees can get prohibitive for candidates. It is really something troublesome in our opinion and should be fixed.
Now you are probably wondering, where is the money collected on all the fees, going? The money goes to the State Election Commission to compensate them for running the primary elections. It certainly does not cover the cost, if you ask us.
Fun fact: other parties (non Republican & non Democrat) pick their candidates via conventions, etc that they pay for … so they don’t have those primary fees. But, as you all might guess, unless you are a Republican or a Democrat, there is no real chance to be elected in November.
2024 Filing Fee Schedule: HERE
mySCGOP Article: HERE
mySCGOP Article: HERE
Send us your opinion on this great debate … and how you would like to see it solved … by hitting REPLY or emailing us at team@mySCGOP.com.
HAVE AN OPINION?
Have an opinion? Different or in agreement? About the above or something else? If so, speak up as we want to hear from you! Send your letters to team@mySCGOP.com and we will be happy to share it with our readers. #SaveSouthCarolina!
SUSTAINING & INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:
Make a Charitable Donation TODAY: HERE
General
SCvotes Candidate Tracking System
Yes, people “talk”, but this is where the rubber meets the road.
Candidate Tracking: HERE
The South Carolina filing period OPENED this past Saturday March 16th at NOON … and CLOSES on Monday April 1st at NOON. So we are in full swing following “who” is filing … and “who” isn’t … and there are always surprises. Yes, people “talk”, but this is where the rubber meets the road.
We wrote an article about the SC State Election Commission’s (SEC) candidate tracking system last July 12th, 2023 … but we wanted to remind everyone it exist as it is probably the hottest link on the SEC website right now. See HERE.
Some of the local County Election offices, including Greenville County, were not open on Saturday so most candidates were not able to start filing until Monday, March 18th. As of close of business Monday March 18th, 103 candidates statewide filed their paperwork to have their names on the ballot for June 11, 2024 Primary Elections!
In 2020 … 516 candidates filed for office … 540 candidates in 2016. Let’s hope we double those number this year!!!
See the full article below …
SC Votes Candidate Tracker – Direct Link:
https://vrems.scvotes.sc.gov/Candidate/SelectElection
mySCGOP Article: HERE
mySCGOP Article: HERE
Send us your opinion on this great debate … and how you would like to see it solved … by hitting REPLY or emailing us at team@mySCGOP.com.
HAVE AN OPINION?
Have an opinion? Different or in agreement? About the above or something else? If so, speak up as we want to hear from you! Send your letters to team@mySCGOP.com and we will be happy to share it with our readers. #SaveSouthCarolina!
SUSTAINING & INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS:
Make a Charitable Donation TODAY: HERE
