Chairman's Update regarding the December 1st elections

Fellow REC Members:
The events of, and discussions before and after last Monday night’s meeting have produced a lot of confusion leading up to the important election that will be held Monday night. William
Harrison announced his intention of running against Jim Greer for the Chair of RPOF, and was elected as a Precinct Committeeman for his precinct, a first step to meeting the requirements to make that run. Because William is not otherwise eligible to run for BCREC Chairman at the 1 Dec election, a series of elections and resignations would have to follow, with the final result being to elect William as Chair of the BCREC prior to the Annual Meeting on January 10.

William’s reasons for mounting such an ambitious undertaking are based on his desire to see RPOF act as a strong influence to return Florida’s politics, which are controlled by our Party, to conservative principles of governing.
In discussions with William yesterday, he confirmed that the decision to seek the RPOF Chair is not firm at this time. He also confirmed his desire to be elected as Chair of the BCREC, regardless of the decision to run for Chair of RPOF. I am very concerned that the election Monday night might lead to misunderstandings and conflict within our ranks, since most of our members aren’t aware of what the issues are, and that’s not the way we do things. The election should be a time of celebration for what we’ve accomplished during the past cycle, and choosing
new leadership to go forward.

That’s a lot of verbiage to let you know that I will run for the Chair of the REC on Monday night, to serve for a short period. I have discussed this decision with John Salak and Dan Estes, who have announced their candidacy for Chair, as well as William. My purpose is to make sure that the election of the Chair of the BCREC will be held in the next couple of months, with every member being fully aware of the candidates and issues involved. There’s not time before Monday’s election to accomplish that goal.

I’m grateful for the trust you’ve given me in allowing me to serve you for the past two years. It’s time for new leadership, and my desire is that we make that decision based on full knowledge of the candidates and the circumstances. If William decides not to pursue the RPOF Chair, I’ll attend the RPOF Annual Meeting January 10 and be part of the delegation (with Jonathan and Melissa) to represent Bay County in the decisions to be made there. I’ll resign shortly after, in an orderly fashion, and announce an election date for the vacancy. If William does decide to run for Chair of RPOF, that decision would have to be made by mid-December. If the REC decides to support his candidacy, a second election will be required prior to the RPOF
meeting to elect him Chairman. As a 10 day meeting notice is required prior to the election, we have a very narrow window for the 2nd election meeting, especially with the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

I hope this decision will clear up any confusion about Monday’s election. The only other option that I could see was to postpone the election, and that creates other problems. My goal for the past two years has been to keep every member informed and run a transparent administration that involves every member. This action is intended to continue that practice.
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you for your service to the REC.

Ted Haney