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Bay County Republican: the truth about what is going on in GOP local politics

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Republican Roundtable Update March 2010

Sheriff McKeithen to speak at March 9 meeting

Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen will be the guest speaker at the March 9 meeting of the Roundtable. Sheriff McKeithen is one of Bay County's most popular elected officials, primarily because he does his job so well. Sheriff McKeithen plans to discuss the following topics: Illegal Immigration, Meth Checks and Pill Mills. He will explain what his office is doing and how Bay County is affected by these activities. The Roundtable meets at the St. Andrew Bay Yacht Club, 218 Bunkers Cove Rd., in Panama City. A dinner buffet begins at 6:00 p.m. and costs $15.00 per person, including tax, tip and non-alcoholic beverage. Reservations are necessary so that the Yacht Club staff can plan for adequate food and seating. To make your dinner reservations, please contact Melissa Thompson at Melissa@efileamerica.com or 527-7384.

A short business meeting will begin at 6:45 p.m., and the program will begin at 7:00 p.m. Bring a guest and your opinion!

Gubernatorial candidate Dockery speaks at Feb. 9 meeting

Florida Senator Paula Dockery was the guest speaker at the Feb. 9 meeting of the Roundtable. Dockery was elected to the Florida Senate in 2002 and has served as Majority Whip. She was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000, where she also served as Majority Whip. null

Sen. Dockery is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor. Her primary opponent is Attorney General Bill McCollum. Her speech to the Roundtable emphasized her areas of expertise--water management and the rail system in Florida. She was well received and fielded the usual tough questions from the Roundtable audience.

Candidate soapbox at every meeting

All Republican candidates are invited to take to the candidate soapbox for three minutes at every Roundtable meeting. This is a great opportunity for candidates to get out their message and interface with voters. At the February meeting, Derrell Day and Dan Estes, candidates for County Commission, and John Reichard, candidate for Panama City Beach City Council, took advantage of the soapbox.

Membership drive underway

Each year the Roundtable conducts its membership drive from January 1 to March 31. Annual dues are $30.00 per person. If you would like to renew your membership or become a new member, please make your check payable to BCRR and mail it to the Roundtable's treasurer: Melissa Thompson, P.O. Box 15044, Panama City, FL 32406. Or you may simply give your check to Melissa at the March 9 meeting.

Thanks for your support!
Trivia Questions

Anyone wishing to provide the Trivia Questions for any of our meetings should Contact:

Richard Plantec 236-1830 or Rgplant1@aol.com

Subscribe to Roundtable newsletter

To subscribe to the online Roundtable newsletter, simply click this link:

http://republicanroundtable.com/subscribe.html

(You may also copy and paste the link into your Internet browser.) When you click the link, you will see the Roundtable logo and a very brief subscription form. Just type in your name and email address and then click "Submit."

When you return to your email account, you'll find a confirmation email in your Inbox. Simply accept the confirmation, and that's it--you are subscribed to the newsletter!

Bay County Republican Executive Committee

The Bay County Republican Executive Committee (BCREC) is comprised of Republican precinct leaders. If you're interested in being active in your precinct this election year, or if you just want to learn more about the activities of the local Republican Party, please plan to attend the next BCREC meeting on Monday, March 22, at 6 p.m. in the School Board meeting room at 1311 Balboa Ave.

For more information, contact BCREC Chairman John Salak at 276-2872 or

john.salak@L-3Com.com.

Lincoln-Reagan 2010 set for April 24

The annual fundraiser of the Bay County Republican Executive Committee (BCREC), Lincoln-Reagan 2010, is scheduled for Saturday, April 24, at the Edgewater Convention Center in Panama City Beach.

State Representative Will Weatherford, originally scheduled to be the event's keynote speaker, was forced to decline due to Florida House rules that prohibit legislators from speaking at political fundraisers during session. That's the bad news.

The good news is that U.S. Representative Adam Putnam, Republican candidate for Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture, has accepted the invitation to be the keynote speaker. Rep. Putnam held the Republican Party's third highest leadership post during the 110th Congress in 2007 and 2008. During his five terms in Congress, he has become an influential leader on cyber security and federal technology policy.

For more information, contact LR2010 Chairs Vicki Doolittle at g.v.doolittle@live.com or 319-0105 or Teresa Eaton at ardentheart@bellsouth.net or 832-5689.

CD2 forum maxed out!

All 450 free tickets to the May 18 forum for Republican candidates in the Congressional District 2 race are spoken for! The forum will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the historic Martin Theater in downtown Panama City.

Candidates who have confirmed their participation are Dianne Berryhill, Eddie Hendry, Barbara Olschner, Charlies Ranson, David Scholl and Steve Southerland. The CD2 seat is now held by Democrat incumbent Allen Boyd.

For more information, contact Forum Chair Jonathan Hayes at 785-2857 or hayesjh@gmail.com.

Panhandle Federated Republican Women

The Panhandle Federated Republican Women (PFRW) will meet on Wednesday, March 10, 11:00 a.m. at the Golden Corral Restaurant on 23rd Street in Panama City. The cost of lunch is $10.00, payable in the room reserved for the club. (Do not pay at the cash register.)

The guest speaker for the March 10 meeting is Bob Wells of Soldiers' Angels.

For more information, contact PFRW President Lorraine Odom at 624-2544 or lorraineodom@marykay.com.

Coffee, donuts and great conversation!

Coffee and donuts are a bonus, but the real reason to come to the Bay County Republican Headquarters on Saturday morning is the great conversation and camaraderie. Recent topics of conversation included the CD2 race, the foreseeable problems with nationalized health care, the messed up state of Florida's homeowners' insurance market and how the two might be related, plus other topics of interest to a bunch of grassroots Republicans.

BCRR member Ken Ford opens the Headquarters, located at 1607 Lisenby Avenue in Panama City, every Saturday from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Bring your coffee cup and your point of view for any part of the three hours you can spend there. You'll be glad you did! The number at HQ is 763-8656.

For more information about the Bay County Republican Roundtable,

contact Vicki Doolittle, President, at 319-0105 or doolittlg@comcast.net.

Other Roundtable officers are:

Richard Plantec, 1st Vice President, Programs Chair

Sue Bynum, 2nd Vice President, Events Chair

James Waterstradt, Secretary

Melissa Thompson, Treasurer

If you would like to donate items for the monthly raffle, please contact

Mike Speaks, Raffle Chair, at 271-4092 or mikespeaks@knology.net.

"It only stands to reason that where there is sacrifice, there is someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there is service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master." ~ Ayn Rand