Rebuilding the Campbell GOP

Published April 20, 2012 in the Lynchburg Ledger 

By Bill Wheaton

Press Media Group, LLC

Barring any major changes, it would appear that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for President. 

Romney was definitely not my first choice.  He was not my second or third choice either.  I have contributed to Herman Cain, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, none of whom will apparently get the nod.

I guess there is still some remote chance someone other than Romney will be nominated but at this point I am resigned to what appears to be the inevitable and will do everything I can to see the Republican candidate wins. 

I believe we are just one election away from destroying this great and mighty nation the Founding Fathers gave us.  Following the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked what type of government they had given us.  Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”  We will know on November 7^th whether we were able to keep it, or have lost it forever.

National elections are won and lost at the local level.  Massachusetts Democrat Thomas “Tip” O’Neal coined the phrase “All politics are local.”  I very seldom agree with anything a Democrat says, but in this case, he was right.

Here in Campbell County, the local Republican Party is dysfunctional.  They effectively committed political suicide last year when they refused to reinstate those party members, such as myself, who supported Sheila Bosiger for Clerk of the Court over Rick Boyer who obtained the Republican nomination by mobilizing the members of his church.

Boyer, who was resoundingly defeated, losing 17 of 18 precincts, mobilized the effort following his humiliating defeat, blocking the reinstatement of about half the local party membership, including me.

It was this split that led Paul McAndrews, who ran for Commonwealth’s Attorney following Neil Vener’s retirement; and Steve Hutcherson who ran for Sheriff following Terry Gaddy’s retirement, to reject the Republican Party and run as Independents.

Vener and Gaddy had been previously elected as Republicans and McAndrews and Hutcherson were still members of the Republican Party.

Running for re-election last year were Steve Shockley from the Sunburst District and Eddie Gunter from the Concord District.  Both had been elected as Republicans four years previously.  They also rejected the Republican Party and ran as Independents.

In order to support these Independent candidates, a number of us quickly formed an organization we called the Independent Conservatives of Campbell County (ICCC).  We drew up a set of bylaws and elected Fred Smith as Chairman.  Fred is a theology professor at the Liberty University Seminary.

The ICCC did what a political party would normally do.  Under Fred Smith’s leadership they mobilized campaign efforts such as literature distribution, canvassing, sign distribution, staffing the polls on Election Day and providing sample ballots.

The ICCC supported candidates scored resounding victories over the three candidates the Republicans nominated.  McAndrews was unopposed.

Steve Shockley defeated Republican candidate Tip Killingworth ( who was fined twice by the Board of Elections for failing to file the required financial reports) by 70 to 30 percent.

Eddie Gunter, who Rick Boyer had been trying to defeat for years, defeated Republican Gary Stewart by 45 to 18 percent. 

In the biggest landslide, Steve Hutcherson trounced Republican Richard Irvin by 85 to 4.74 percent. 

In the one county-wide race, the current Republican Party could draw a pitiful 572 votes, demonstrating just how out of touch they are with the citizens of Campbell County.

During the past two years, the Republican Party has consistently violated its own bylaws and ignored Robert’s Rules of Order in the conducting of their meetings.

The bylaws stated that the secretary was to send out the notice of meetings but former chairman Will Kirk forbid her to do so.  Instead, he would notify only those in his inner circle.  I know this for a fact because I was one of the members cut out of the private loop.

Although minutes of the meetings were taken, they were never distributed to members or approved at the next meeting as Robert’s Rules require.  Consequently, there is no official record of any meeting in the past two years.

Earlier this year, Will Kirk resigned and Kurt Fiegel was elected to fill out the two year term.  I tried on two different occasions to have civilized discussion with Fiegel regarding county operations and found him to be as close-minded as any liberal I have ever run into.  Just like a liberal, he did not want the facts to get in the way of his pre-conceived opinions.

Fiegel, who is running for Chairman, has messed up just about everything he has touched. 

A vacancy on the Campbell County Electoral Board occurred that needed to be filled by a Republican.  Fiegel was asked by the Judge of the Circuit Court to submit a list of recommendations.  He never responded even after numerous attempts were made to contact him.

The Republicans will be holding a Mass Meeting April 19^th to elect a new Chairman and the address Fiegel provided in the official Call for people to drop off pre-file forms was a post office box in a UPS store that could not accept them due to postal regulations.  The State Party is aware of this incompetence and because of this, the Mass Meeting could possibly be declared invalid.

Two years ago, the Mass Meeting was held at Rustburg High School which can accommodate a large crowd.  This year, Fiegel chose the Board of Supervisor’s meeting room which has a limited capacity.  If the turnout is more than 220, people will be turned away.

In his brief stint as Chairman, Fiegel has demonstrated he is totally unqualified to be Chairman.

We can bring the Campbell County Republican party back together and join forces to defeat Barack Obama and save our republic only with new leadership.  Fred Smith can provide just that leadership and that is why he is endorsed by:

• Charles Falwell - Timberlake District Supervisor
• Eddie Gunter – Concord Distinct Supervisor
• Steve Shockley – Sunburst District Supervisor
• Steve Hutcherson – Sheriff
• Terry Gaddy – Sheriff (retired)
• Paul McAndrews – Commonwealth’s Attorney
• Neil Vener – Commonwealth’s Attorney (retired)
• Sheila Bosiger –District Court Clerk
• Mark Grooms – Pastor, Thomas Terrace Baptist Church

And of course, me.

Bill Wheaton lives in Concord, Virginia.  Recent columns are available at billwheaton.blogspot.com.  His email address is bwheaton@moreinformation.net.