Ohio is doing so poorly because the Republican Party is in need of reform.
It is time to quit asking and start Demanding
1)
Electing a “Chairman of the board” from the body of the State Central Committee - (and then hiring a professional CEO for the party that reports to the State Central Committee and the Chairman of the board)
Electing a chairman of the board from the body of the board - rather than hiring an outside chairman of the board of directors/CEO - separates the two positions from where it is now. You do not want all that power in the hand of someone that was never popularly elected by the people.
Under this scenario, the CEO reports to the Chairman – just like in the private sector.
It is the duty of the board of directors with the aid of the Chairman and CEO to give the party a Vision, Mission, Goals, Priorities, and Platform. A committee can make recommendations, the Chairman can make recommendations, and the CEO can make recommendations – however, they want to accomplish these tasks. It is up to the State Central Committee to approve these until a Convention can be held and issues voted on.
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2)
The State Central Committee must approve all expenditures not provided for in an approved budget by the State Central Committee. Emergency discretionary spending by the Chairman is not to exceed $5,000 on a quarterly basis.
This will limit discretionary spending of the chairman of what he characterizes as ”traditional spending”
The Chairman has been spending millions of dollars of party money on unendorsed candidates. This practice puts forth a very bad perception that the candidates have already been selected.
3)
The State Central Committee must approve a quarterly budget for the Chairman and GOP management.
Quarterly budgets are how most State Central Committees around the nation operate.
Most State Central Committees meet physically at least four times per year – a major reason for that is to have face to face discussions about the quarterly budget.
4)
Commitment to a Republican State Convention like other states
North Carolina, Utah, Texas, Idaho, Indiana, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wyoming, Virginia, and Maine all have State Republican Conventions.
A State Convention is a source of revenue for the party and helps to drive passion for the party.
5)
In years when there is no convention, the State Central Committee may make endorsements only in unopposed primaries.
This removes the potential for those on the State Central Committee to abuse their position. This fights the urge for the State Central Committee to unilaterally put their thumb on the scale for candidates they select.
6)
The State Central Committee must not endorse in contested primaries. Conventions may consider endorsements in a primary only if all contested primary candidates have had at least three debates with each other prior to the State Convention and receive a two-thirds vote at the convention.
This is added as a high bar for endorsements during a primary election – this occurs between the last day candidates can get in and when the primary election takes place.
There are situations when a party may legitimately want to do an endorsement in a primary. These are fairly rare occurrences, and this is an impetus to get county leaders to attend the State Convention.
This also makes candidates work very hard at the county-level to get support.
7)
Adopt a vision, goals, priorities, and a State-specific platform of policy solutions for Ohio.
These give the party focus and defines the party.
Helps with fundraising and gaining support.
Drive passion for the Party.
8)
Adopt new bylaws that eliminate ambiguity and misinterpretation.
The current bylaws are horribly written and have no checks and balances.
The bylaws provide no penalties for those not following them.
9)
No party funds or services can be utilized to elect State Central Committee members
When a party can use its funds and resources to elect its members - then the party is a reflection of the establishment - and not a reflection of Republicans in their district.
10)
Adopt a code of ethics for the party.
A code of ethics is clearly necessary as there are appointees that are set on the committee that have voted to endorse their appointer. This improper influence has every characteristic of a bribe.
Should lobbyists set on the State Central Committee? If they do – where do their loyalties lie? Do their loyalties lie with their constituents? Or, do they lie with their employer?
The party is in danger of or is already considered, the “pay-to-play” party– having lobbyists on board is a poor precedent.
11)
Adopt a Whistleblower Policy for the Party
A whistleblower policy would prevent retribution against those that find something that is wrong or illegal.
Obviously, this is needed as those seeking the audit to be performed correctly were removed from their committee assignments.
12)
The party’s finances shall be professionally audited by a CPA firm every two years. Failure to do so will
result in the termination of the chairman and CEO of the party.
Independent audits are expensive and are normally done either every 2, 3, or 5 years.
The books are normally internally audited every year with a CPA closing the books at years end.
13)
State Central Committee meetings only on Saturdays or Sundays so the public can more easily participate and build a passion for the party.
We want greater engagement – not less. Making it easier to attend meetings is a good first step.
14)
All County and State Central Committee members must make available an email and phone number for constituent contact. Failure to do so will result in censure.
Party members should be easily accessible and should be responsive.