By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
The Republican Party Executive Committee met Saturday to choose the leadership team that they wanted to lead them into the critical 2014 election.
Chairman Bill Armistead was reelected Chairman over challenger Matt Fridy. Armistead said in a written statement afterwards, “I see this sort of like a primary and the primary is over. Republicans come together after primaries and work for the good of the Party and that is exactly what I expect to happen as we approach the election of 2014 and beyond. The Party is bigger than any one Party official or elected official. I’ve been working in the Republican party for decades and I am not going to let the party go backwards under my watch. We are going to move forward by electing Republicans to every statewide office in 2014 and add to our Republican majority in the legislature. And, we are not going to stop there. We’ll focus on the judicial races including Circuit and District Judges and I believe that voters will re-soundly reject the liberal philosophy of the Democrat Party. We will again target selected county races next year with an emphasis in the Sheriff’s offices. We only have 25 Republican Sheriffs and that means that Democrats have 42. That is unacceptable for a Republican state. We will focus like a laser beam on the Sheriff’s offices next year”.
Armistead vowed to emphasize fundraising. The Chairman said, “One of the greatest thrills in my life is to go into an executive’s office and tell them why they need to invest in the Republican Party.” “Thank you for this opportunity to serve.”
The Republican chose to re-elect George Williams for Senior Vice Chairman without any opposition. George Williams said that he put over 100,000 miles on his truck over the last two years promoting the Republican Party and he has never asked the Party for gas money or to pay his hotel expenses. The only Black officer on the Republican Steering Committee told the Executive Committee, “I will not disappoint you for the next two years. Thank you for the next two years.”
Similarly, the Republicans re-elected Jeff Peacock to be the Vice-Chairman for Congressional Districts 1 and 2 with no opposition. Peacock said, “I am truly a lucky man. It has been a tremendous opportunity. It is a real honor to represent you on the Steering Committee.”
For Vice Chairman representing Congressional Districts 6 and 7 Holly Lollar defeated Renee Powers. Lollar said, “As a wife, mother and a business owner I am terrified by the direction our county is headed under President Obama.” “There is nothing more important to me than conservative principles.” “I will take whatever means necessary to make sure that we have a big voter turnout on election day in 2014.”
In the Vice Chairman for Congressional Districts 3, 4, and 5 incumbent Harold Sachs defeated challenger Jim Burden. Burden objected to Sachs serving both on the Steering Committee and working fulltime for the GOP as Chief of Staff. GOP counsel Colin Luke defended Sachs saying that he was driving from Winston County to Hoover every day for a salary that amounted to just 70 cents an hour. Sachs said, “Thank y’all for letting me work for the party. Since I retired I have never worked so hard than I have worked for this party.”
Malory Jackson defeated challenger Phyllis Day Davis for re-election as Republican Party Treasurer.
Similarly Sally Bryant was re-elected as the Secretary of the Republican Party defeating a challenge from Patricia MGriff.
In other business, Republican Party Finance Chairman Jerry Lathan said, “Bill (Armistead) provided enormous leadership.” The Party now owns a new headquarters building and should be debt free within three years. Lathan said that the Financial committee was created because of things that were revealed in the audit. “We have talked a lot about unity.” “I want you to make it perfectly clear to our senior elected officials or our former senior elected officials that it is wrong to direct our donors away from donating to the party. I find it repulsive that I even have to talk about this.” Lathan said that within 24 hours of the last election an email went out telling our Governor’s Circle members to stop donating to the party. Lathan was referring to former ALGOP Chairman and current Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard and former Governor Bob Riley, both of whom have set up their own fundraising machines outside the control of the Republican Party and often in competition with the Alabama Republican Party.
