For me it was an action-packed evening.
It started with a heated conversation between myself and John England – Karen’s Husband before the meeting even started.. The details are between us, but you could imagine the subject matter.
Several By-Law amendments were debated.
The “McClintock Ammendment” was on the agenda, dealing with conflicts of interest. The local Tea Party had sent out a press release:
NorCal Tea Party Patriots Concerned about Ethics in Placer County Republican Central Committee
For Immediate Release March 7, 2011
AUBURN, CA – The Executive Board of NorCal Tea Party Patriots is concerned about ethical questions surrounding the Placer County Republican Central Committee. Specifically its relationship with a private company called Headquarters Partnership.
Red flags were raised when it came to light that members of the PCRCC executive board were also principals in HQP. On its face this appears to be a conflict of interest. The situation is further complicated by the fact that PCRCC members have been thwarted in their efforts to look into HQP’s operation. HQP was ostensibly set up as a leasing agent to handle payments on the PCRCC headquarters. It has since been turned into something more.
Rumors have flown about HQP’s involvement in political campaigns and other activities that have nothing to do with its original mandate. In the current atmosphere it’s possible for these activities to continue without oversight since the majority of the PCRCC votes down such requests. This has left the PCRCC much less effective in Placer County and can have a negative impact on elections in 2012.
Local elected officials in Placer County have been contacted by NorCal Tea Party Patriots so they are aware.
An amendment to the PCRCC bylaws will be proposed at the next Central Committee meeting that will allow for oversight and control of how the money is spent. This will go a long way in restoring the reputation of the PCRCC. It is our hope that committee members will support it.
The amendment was adopted 17-1. Karen England abstained and Ken Campbell was the lone vote against – for reasons I am unsure of.
Tom Hudson was elected to fill a vacant slot in the first supervisorial district. The wrinkle was that Karen England nominated Tom Hudson in February then nominated Ken Payne (who was a one-evening stand-in for Tom McClintock) this evening.
No one voted for Ken Payne, as Karen voted for Carole. Ken himself came to the meeting intending to abstain on the vote for the open seat.
Tom Hudson won.
There were a few other presentations – including hearing from Robinette Cook about her bid for California Republican Party Vice Chairman Northern Region.
I spoke with Ford Davies – off the record – for about 10 minutes as the meeting was winding down. I got the impression that the adoption of the McClintock amendment was the start of resolution of the issues many in the local Tea Parties have with the Central Committee.