Chairman’s Report, May 2008
Vision, Mission, Goals
One year ago 25 of the 49 members of the EPCR Executive Committee spent a day devising a six year rolling strategic plan with the vision of becoming the preeminent Republican county in the state and nation by leading the charge to return to our traditional values; electing Republicans to every office in our County, State, and Nation in which we have a voice; by improving our administrative capabilities; expanding our membership focusing on business, youth and minority outreach, to name a few; raising money from 25% of the 155,000 registered Republicans; and branding and marketing our traditional Republican Values of personal responsibility, individual freedom, family values, limited government, free markets, and a strong national defense.
Administration
With the approval of the Executive Committee, we hired Nathan Fisk as our Executive Director. He has proven himself to be an effective administrator. I can tell you that we need him if we are to achieve our goals and objectives and ultimately our vision and mission. A businessman, he managed, what some say, one of the best campaigns in the last election cycle although in a losing effort to Rep. Mike Merrifield. In December we hired a part time dynamo in businesswomen, Kaye Kerr. She has efficiently managed the office through our most trying times of the Central Committee meeting, County Caucuses, and County Assembly. To improve the party’s operation using a business model, inclusive of some hired personnel, is critical to executing our vision and mission. Please stop in and say hello to Nathan and Kaye.
Another 200 plus volunteers have been helping achieve our goals, and we are grateful to have so many dedicated individuals. I would like to apprise you of a few who have gone above and beyond. Kay Rendleman has established Precinct and Division leader handbooks and is currently conducting Precinct training in preparation of getting the vote out. She comes to us with great experience and a tireless work ethic. MaryAnne Tebedo was the author of our Caucus Script; we are told the first of its kind. Although some experienced folks found it tedious, many of the new precinct persons and division leaders found it invaluable. Like any new document or process we will have to work the “bugs” out of it in order to make it fit well into our system. I can tell you, that in the past, the Caucus system has been criticized for its lack of uniformity. With another attempt, we should be able to put to rest cries of unfairness with a much improved script for 2010.
The IT (information technology) Committee got off to a terrific start helping us understand the pluses and minuses of current data base system, telephone system and many old computers which we are using throughout the office. We have determined that we need a change, but due to lack of funding we were unable to buy the online data base system we selected to replace the existing, more difficult system. The initial cost is less than $5,000 to handle our rigorous needs. It will allow for easy updates from the County Clerk and Recorder, dissemination of information via the web to every campaign, House and Senate District Chairmen, Division and Precinct Leaders. This data base is our most critical need and I will be fundraising to get this started ASAP. With help of one of our Large Donors, EPCR will be getting a new phone system which will cut down our costs and pay for itself within three to four years. Our efficiency will pick up tremendously.
Membership
The goal of the membership Committee is to expand an understanding of Republican Values and engage groups to partner with us during the year in preparation to get the vote out. We focused on youth, minorities, educators, and business. Unfortunately we haven’t met the expectations I set, but we can continue to use our volunteers to assist in penetrating these areas. Thanks to Bentley Rayburn, we did have our first youth conference where the topics of leadership, free markets and the Constitution were taught. Recently, Dane Nowels, Vice Chairman EPCR, convened a meeting with Willie Brezell and Councilman Daryl Glenn to plan out the next steps in bringing together Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Whites to craft a plan of outreach to these minority groups. It is my desire not to start Republican clubs based on race (similar to the evolution of the chambers of commerce we currently have), but to integrate them with our existing party structure. To that end, I am pleased that we have Reginald Perry on the Executive Committee and instrumental in getting the outreach committee off the ground; we have Joe Alaniz and Theresa Pacheco on the Marketing committee; and Carlos Marquez on the Information Technology committee. Bob Shirilla, former Vice Chairman of our party, is spearheading the education committee where the goal is to bring together administrators and teachers who have a likeminded understanding of Republican values and wish to discuss them as they pertain to education. Finally, the business community needs to be re-engaged in the party. I have been working with many of you who are business people as I lead EPCR and will continue to need your help. Thank you to those who have given me advice and guidance. We need to engage our natural Republican business men and women more than just as funders or advisers. This will be our challenge in the next six months.
Funding
Fundraising has been successful as compared to previous years, but has fallen short of my expectations. I need to bear the responsibility for the shortfall as it was started late and my focus was not 100% on the mark. The lack of funding has hurt the marketing effort which is so critical to getting the grassroots Republicans to give to the party. At the upcoming LDD the party will be unveiling a membership drive aimed at getting smaller donations to the party. I believe $10 to $100 donations are the key to a successful and sustainable budget. That said, we are still in need of seed money for our data base system, marketing plan, and daily operations.
Marketing
This committee has had much success thanks to Kyle Fisk, Jeff Thomas of 30DPS Marketing, and Kim Shugart. 15 marketing professionals came together to help the party get back to our traditional values. Through their efforts we have a new state of the art Website, a Brand, and a Marketing Plan which will help define the need, make voters proud to be Republican, and get R voters out to the polls. If you are interested in funding a specific need of the party or giving a general contribution, please go to www.gopelpaso.com or call me at the office.
Other
An important decision was made which received little notice by the press. In October, I released EPCR’s Statement on Ethical Campaigning. With the help of Drs. Mal Waken PhD, Roberta Kraus PhD, and John O’Keeffe MD, and Duncan Bremer JD, this statement was created to guide candidates, their campaigns, and their workers away from dishonest and disrespectful campaigning. The Republican Party has historically been known as the party of ideas, but more recently in El Paso County as the Party of division. This ethics statement has been agreed to by all candidates and it is my fervent hope that it will be the start of post primary party unification.
At this time, please accept my sincere thanks, once again, for your help to the party of time, talent, and treasure. With your contribution we have done much, but we have much to do. Please talk with your family and friends to get the word out and money in by viewing our Website at www.gopelpaso.com. We Republicans believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; in a free economy and markets; in self reliance and personal responsibility; in a strong national defense; and traditional families who teach their children of our history and valued traditions. Because we believe these things, we will vote, and we will vote Republican…Because it matters! May God bless you and El Paso County.
Greg Garcia, Chairman
