A Bold Move to End CTGOP Convention Corruption

Every once in a while a bit of good news is delivered to The King's Castle. This is one of those rare times where I find myself cheering wildly for a few brave souls who are trying to make a positive difference within our self-beleaguered Connecticut Republican Party; the goal to end corruption within our Party is a noble one, well worth the effort, and well worth making it a point of public record here. 

You didn't need a magnifying glass
to see the connection between dollars
and delegates during the 2010 CT
Republican State Convention.

I'm hopeful that this body of work is not news to any of Republican State Central Members, who I'm told, have been mulling around these suggestions for some time. The fact that this body of work was only made known to me formally in the last couple days or so suggests that its ready for public consumption. My thanks to Joe Visconti for keeping me in the loop, and sending the latest drafts my way.

In this entry I want to focus on what is being proposed rather than take everyone down the long dark path of historical record. The resolutions being recommended deserve a fair hearing on their own merit without creating additional divisions within the Party by naming names of naysayers, and dissenters at this point, or going off on a hypothetical tangent about who might benefit most from their approval. And honestly, since the proposed resolutions would apply to all those involved in the upcoming State Convention Process - it is The King's View that everyone would be placed on the same level playing field; giving no one candidate advantage over the other. Those opting out would be subject to intense criticism and scrutiny; doing so at their own peril.

One of the chief reasons the public hates politics is because there is the assumption that politicians tend to care more about taking care of themselves (and each other) rather than the constituents they serve. Whether money is the root of all evil is a matter of conjecture, but it certainly seems to find it's way into the pockets of many of our politicians, whether elected to formal office, or as representatives to commissions and committees on our behalf. And to be fair, no political party owns the high ground on this issue, as reward and patronage have been with us since time immemorial.

While stopping the transfer of all cash or favors from one hand to another would be a Fool's Errand, we can at least create a window of transparency that allows the public to make it's own judgements as to what is above bar, and what is collusion, or patronage. These resolutions were drafted by former CT Attorney General Republican Candidate Martha Dean, Esq, and former CT 1st District Republican Congressional Candidate Joe Visconti, and are being co-sponsored for presentation to Republican State Central by two courageous State Central Representatives - Scott Veley (District 6; Kensington) and Mark Pappa (District 9; Newington). God Bless you guys for sticking your necks out as Change Champions!

Without further ado, here are the proposed resolutions in current draft form:

PROPOSED CTGOP STATE CENTRAL RESOLUTIONS

Concerning delegates and integrity of process at 2012 State GOP Convention

RESOLVED, that prior to selecting delegates to the State Convention, Town Committees shall ask appropriate questions of potential delegates concerning their paid involvement or business affiliation with any candidate’s campaign;

RESOLVED, that Town Committees should endeavor to avoid the appearance of impropriety by selecting delegates to the State Convention who are not on a campaign’s payroll or in a vendor or other business relationship with any candidate’s campaign; and

RESOLVED, that prior to selecting delegates to the State Convention, Town Committees shall obtain the commitment of any prospective delegate to wear (if selected as a delegate) an appropriate disclosure, to be decided upon by the State Convention’s Rules Committee, in a conspicuous place at all times during the State Convention, which disclosure will identify the delegate as on the payroll of a specific campaign or in a vendor or other business relationship with a specific campaign.



All historic movements require a starting point. The approval of these resolutions would be a giant first step to move not just the CTGOP, but all of Connecticut Politics toward more ethical way of conducting the People's business. A process free of pressure from outside influences trading rewards for favors would purify decisions made by trusted representatives and renew confidence in the public trust.

You would have suspect that anyone unwilling to support the resolutions proposed must have something to hide. Further, anyone arguing that they would not support these resolutions because they would not be legally enforceable are merely looking for an excuse to hide behind a technicality so that they can conduct business as usual. Obviously, a bylaw change, which would be enforceable, is a better overall solution, but given that the effort required to change the bylaws would take months of preparation, it is not feasible that it would be adapted prior to the 2012 State Convention. These resolutions are about what can be done to make the process more ethical today.

And the best thing we can hope for is a roll-call vote to let the public know who is in favor of transparency, and ending improprieties, and who isn't.

So, who will have the courage to support the Dean-Visconti Resolutions, and who will fight for the status quo? Only time will tell. Based on what I've been told, the resolutions will be entered/have been entered on the December State Central agenda, and would need to be voted on in a subsequent meeting - perhaps, January at the earliest.

Let's hope that Republican State Central Members do the right thing and vote to pass these historic resolutions.
In the meantime, are there any takers in the Democrat Party who would dare challenge their members to approve a similar set of resolutions?

RTCs, State Central, Convention, etc.

Although this column is favored by political insiders and hobbyists, it occurred to me that some people reading this piece may not understand what I'm talking about when I mention Republican State Central or State Convention, etc. As it stands, I know that many registered Republicans aren't even aware that Republican Town Committees (RTCs)exist, or that RTCs chose representatives to represent them at a State Central Committee, and also chose a slate of delegates to represent them at a State Convention where candidates are voted on, and formally nominated by the Party.

For starters, if you're a registered Republican and may be interested in joining your Republican Town Committee, you might want to inquire soon. As it happens, in January of 2012, towns and cities are mandated by Connecticut State Law to select Republican Town Committee Members. Some towns have an open process which is conducted by Caucus, and some towns have a closed process where members of the Town Committee select a nominating committee and draft a slate of RTC candidates of Republicans to be voted on. Some towns permit only a set number of RTC members, while others seem to have an unlimited number of members - as determined by their by-laws. Above all else, the purpose of the RTC is to draft candidates, get local Republicans elected, and raise funds to support local elections. A side role is to discuss local issues and strategize or discuss how to approach them. 

Second, RTCs send delegates to Caucus to select State Central Committee members who are supposed to meet a certain number of times a year, and act as a liaison between RTCs and the State Party. While there are many questions regarding the benefit and productivity of the current organization, State Central helps to draft candidates for federal office, and has responsibility for holding a State Convention, and nominating a set of candidates for federal office, and state offices. State Central members have the added benefit of voting at the State Convention as Super-Delegates - meaning their vote counts twice - this is as obnoxious in theory as it is in practice (mainly because most serving are hardly worth half a vote given the state of things IMHO).

Third, RTCs also have the added responsibility of selecting delegates to send to the State Convention to participate in the nomination of federal and state candidates. Each town has a set allocation as determined by State Bylaws.

One of the big beefs that the public has is that they complain that they don't know who makes decisions on their behalf within the Connecticut Republican Party. Fact is that I would guess that 99% of registered Republicans couldn't tell you who their State Central member is, or who is representing them as a delegate at the State Convention. There has always been a particularly political manner in which delegates for the State Convention are chosen. Sometimes it's by tenure, but often the decision is reserved by the Chairman alone to determine who s/he wants to attend given his knowledge of how they will vote. This kind of decision-making is all about why the resolutions above are being suggested - if you take it a step further. 

RTCs may receive cash donations from candidates as an indirect payment for votes, or even Chairman or individuals could receive cash or favors from third party vendors which go undocumented and unaccounted for; meaning individual payoffs can be masked within the current reporting process. Just looking at what occurred before and during the 2010 Connecticut State Republican Convention, you will understand the urgency around adopting these resolutions; the splintering our State Party began during that unfortunate period, and old wounds in many districts are still not healed, and fresh in the minds of delegates, and voters alike. It's clear, that the antics from that convention affected the results of the 2010 General Election here in Connecticut.

Given the obvious opportunity for shenanigans, and payoffs, and greater division within the already fragile CTGOP - if certain situations were to reoccur at the 2012 Convention, it's critical that steps are taken to ensure fair play. The three resolutions above are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to moving toward a more ethical and transparent system. And now you can understand just why they are so important.

I AM

THE KING

This original blog entry can be read at http://www.thekingview.blogspot.com