The phrase Musical Chairs does not refer to funiture which can play instruments but to the Fair Game where the Chairs dissapear one after the other.
Somewhat like what the Chairs of the Linn County Republican Central Committee seem to do about every two years.
I recall the first Chair and Commitee I met maybe 10 years ago.
There seemed to a lot more attending in those days. Everyone seemed to like the Chair. As far as I could tell there was a lot of spirit but no real direction.
But I had not been around long and maybe did not at that early stage understand how things operated.
I watched, listened chipped in to help where I could and did not really say much.
Then we got a new Chair. Again a Lot of energy, focus and drive. We developed Subcommittees. We got an Office. We ended an Election cycle not as many Central Committees in the hole or just breaking even. But with money in the bank, A bit over $6000.
To me things seemed to be going very well but I detected a few people who got together in small groups before and after the meeting who did not seem to like the Chair. Why I did not know.
I continued to watch, listen, chipped in to help where and when I could and did not say much.
Then we got a new Chair with a complete new set of officers. A lot of them had been those who got together in small groups before and after the meetings who did not seem to like the Chair. Why? I did not know,
That is when things changed.
They closed the office and moved the meeting. They did this on their own and did not consult the Committee.
I watched and listened. I heard people ask them, " By what authority do you do these things?"
The answers were. We won. The Constitution and the ByLaws give us that authority.
So I got copies of the County Constitution and Bylaws and I READ them.
Then I thought about them. And I realised that not only did the Constitution and ByLaws NOT give them the authority to do what they were doing, it said they were not to do them PERIOD.
There was this pesky section in the County Constitutionwhich said:
The Executive Committee is subject to the orders of the Linn County Central Committee, and none of its acts shall conflict with actions of the Linn County Central Committee.
I thought about this a long time. And when I had thought about it enough? I---
SAID SOMETHING
I said it here as a matter of fact, The first section of articles on Hot Issues From Linn County Iowa dealt with what I decided to say.
Which was.
You are Violating the County Constitution and Bylaws and this is--
WRONG
And thus I became a participant in the controversy that we hear has been a trade mark of Linn County,.
I was not the only one who spoke out there were others. Quite a few of them.
We battled for a while and eventually that Chair and that Executive Board was
GONE
The membership had gone down and the all the money in the Bank Account was gone. But a bad time in Linn County seemed to be over.
The new Chair made a pledge in one of the first meetings. He promised to act as a partner and assist and advise the Committe and to follow the Constitution and Bylaws and recognise that the Committee was the one who made decisions.
And he also said that if did not these things he was certain that--
I would say something to him.
Things went very well after that. We did at the start have to take up a collection during the meeting to pay for the room because the bank account did not have enough in it but things got better.
Attendance went up as people came back, There was a new drive and new unity and energy.
We ended up an election cycle with over $20,000 in the Bank
Then as every thing does this part of the cycle came to an end. The Chair, because of business and health reasons had to step down.
And we got a new Chair.
Who decided that what the Constitution or the ByLaws said did not matter, That THEY were the Executive and THEY could make decisions for us.
I was at this time the Pariliamentarian, who is supposed to be neutral.
So
I watched and I listened and I did not say much but it was a strain.
Then the Chair decided to dispose of my services. The same night they convinced the Treasurer to step aside TEMPORARILY (?) and--
I did not have to be neutral any longer
So
I SAID SOMETHING
I said it here just like I had done those years before.
Which was.
You are Violating the County Constitution and Bylaws and this is--
WRONG
And thus I became a participant in the controversy that we hear has been a trade mark of Linn County,
Again.
At the last meeting of the Central Commitee the State Chair and a Local Member of the State Central Commitee spoke to us about getting along,
The said all the Conflict got in the way of Getting Republicans Elected.
The State Chair can tell there has been and is at the present time quite a bit of controversy, But he has not been around here so he does not know the issues,.
The Local Member of the State Central Committee over the years has been busy with his Family, his Church and representing us at the State Level so He ALSO has not been around much.
If he had, He would know that just a few years ago the Linn County Central Commitee was EVERYTHING He and the State Chair said they wished it could be,
There was no Fighting, No controversy there was an Energy, Unity and Focus and a lot more people attending the meetings.
We can get all that back.
We know how to do it
We did it before
The first thing that needs to happen is the present Chair and entourage needs to be--
GONE
We need New Leadership,. And this time it would be nice if we did that BEFORE all the money in the Bank Account was spent and too many of the members who supply the bulk of the volunteer acitvity and work are gone.
We can get them back and we can rebuild the Bank Acount, We have done it before.
But it would be nice if we did it at the Officer Elections Coming up soon.
If we want to go back to when things really Worked?
VOTE NEW LEADERSHIP IN
Updated: Thursday, 29 January 2015 3:23 AM CST
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