The Island County Republican Party publishes a “semi-irregular” newsletter, which we are posting here. We believe that the statements made by the leadership of each party is of general public interest.
Chairman’s Brief
The ballots are on their way to you, get ready to vote and get your family and friends voting as well. You are allowed to pick up their ballots and deliver them to the box in WA and I encourage you to do so. Especially if you have friends who are low participants in the voting process. We have lots of offices that need good people in them to help our community grow and improve. We all have different opinions on who that may be for any particular office, Fortunately, I believe we have a great slate of candidates to choose from. I also believe we will make a difference only if we put forth the effort.
I was recently asked ” Mr. Hazelo, legit question: Why is it important for the ICRP to recruit, vet, and endorse candidates for a nonpartisan elected position? ” My reply was “The fact of the matter is, that all positions are political. Every person regardless of party or affiliation has their biases and beliefs. Knowing this, as good citizens we are ultimately responsible for the government by who we place in office. Regardless of if it’s partisan or not. Two things to note here. Democrats know this and have been winning at this game for years. Conservatives had and continue to have this false belief in the non-partisan. 2 ND These non-partisan positions in a lot of cases are the farm team for candidates to run for higher office. Let me ask you a question as well. When you vote for a person is it because that person, in your opinion has similar views Regarding the position? ” Just food for thought. There are no truly non-partisan positions!
We need some poll watchers, so please get ahold of Tracy or me and volunteer. We can designate two full-time poll watchers that will have priority over others as well as alternates. We would like to have a group that can do shift work during the counting.
The caucus is now a priority and as we spoke during the last CC meeting we need volunteers to help. So once again reach out to us so we can get you in the position to help.
Last but for sure not least, congratulations to Jim Spoltman, our new state committeman.
Timothy Hazelo (USN Ret)
Chairman ICRP
Message from the editor
Hello to all readers of the first ICRP Newsletter of 2023!
Just a short note this month as there is a lot of great content in the newsletter for upcoming voting and events. Read through to learn how things work, what PCOs should be focused on and how the upcoming Caucuses progress . PCOs and everyday folks who support our views are a big part of what the Caucuses are all about. Get ready to organize and bring the folks in the precinct together to make a difference in Island County.
Many thanks for Catherine Boland and Sandi Peterson for their contributions to the newsletter!
Jim Spoltman,
IRCP State Committeeman
Chair, ICRP Communications and Outreach
Spotlight on…
How the party makes decisions
Given all the conversation the endorsement in the Oak Harbor Mayoral race has generated, I thought it a good time to publish how the party works. Many folks know, so this message is focused on those who don’t know how decisions are made, have forgotten, or need a reminder.
Let’s first talk about who gets to vote on party business like endorsements. The smallest voter focused area in Washington State is called a precinct. There are 90 of these in Island County. The people who represent these areas are called a Precinct Committee Officer (PCO). Both Republicans and Democrats have them. This is an elected position. During filing week, the people interested in running for PCO put in their information with the county and are up for election. Most of the positions are unopposed, so you will never see them on the ballot as unopposed PCO candidates are declared the winner. If there is more than one candidate for a PCO you will see those people listed on the appropriate ballots in the mail. The term of a PCO is two years. Some precincts have no PCO because nobody filed. In that case the Chairman of the ICRP may appoint individuals to fill those positions. These elected and appointed PCOs are the people who comprise the Central Committee that conducts the business of the ICRP.
Of the 90 PCO positions, 63 are filled. That second number is the most important as this is used to determine when ICRP business can be conducted. In the By-Laws of the ICRP, a quorum of members is required to conduct any business. That number is 20% of filled PCO positions which, with current numbers, requires that a minimum of 13 PCOs be present for a valid business meeting.
For the September meeting, there were 27 PCOs in attendance, so well over the quorum needed. There were several endorsements presented during the new business section of the meeting. Only one of those has caused some contention. As noted in the various threads in email and Facebook, there was a vote taken and the numbers were as follows: 14 for, 7 against and 6 abstentions. The requirement to pass a motion to endorse a candidate is a simple majority. The vote was not an overwhelming majority. It was a single vote as even if those who abstained had chosen to vote against, the majority was achieved.
If you are not part of the Central Committee and are upset by this decision, your path to satisfaction is to contact your PCO. To find your precinct, have a look at this map for Island County. To find out who your PCO is, go to islandcountygop.net and click on PCO’s.
If you have concerns, I recommend you contact your PCO and inquire how they voted. If your PCO did not attend this meeting, ask why not and how they would have voted. If you have no PCO, ask to become one, or find an interested person, and get in touch with the ICRP Chair.
If you are a member of the Central Committee, are upset by this endorsement and you did not attend the
meeting, now you know why being an active PCO matters.
For the record, I am the PCO for precinct 354.
I voted ‘no’ on the Oak Harbor mayoral endorsement because I think the ICRP should stay out of local nonpartisan races for which most Republicans cannot cast a vote. I voted ‘yes’ to endorse the School Board candidates. Though also nonpartisan, School Board elections are much broader. Endorsement in that kind of nonpartisan race makes sense. The opposition has made School Boards part of the culture war so the ICRP should recommend candidates to turn the tide.
Happy to chat more with anyone who lives in my precinct.
Jim Spoltman,
Chair, ICRP Communications and Outreach
PCO 354
Turning Island County Red
PCO Action
PCOs, you play an important part in recovering our beautiful county, state, and country. No matter how you decided to become involved in the Republican Party as a PCO (Precinct Project, election, referral by a friend), your time to make a HUGE DIFFERENCE IS NOW THROUGH NOVEMBER 5, 2024.
We are 12 months away from the most critical elections in our lifetimes, our children’s, grandchildren’s, and great grandchildren’s.
Do not forget why you became involved — to save our county, state, country, and fundamentally, our REPUBLIC and CONSTITUTION.
The only way to save our country is to start with Island County. We want Island County to be a big, Red color on November 5, 2024. Let’s make it very, very clear that Island County is done with the Democrat craziness harming our county, state, and our country (not to mention our friendships and family). Can you imagine the SHOCK and the INSPIRATION that millions will draw when they see Island County Red? Yes, we must do it. And we need your help.
The bickering is over, we unite here on out to GET THE REPUBLICANS OUT TO VOTE. Too many have chosen not to vote or call themselves Independent or No Party because they’re fed up with Republicans talking a good talk and doing nothing. We must tell every single voter (those that vote Republican, Independent, Libertarian) we are working hard. Every single month you must be in contact with the voters in your Precinct either through knocking on their door, doing a mass mailer to your identified Republicans, or holding small get togethers.
Ignore Progressive households. Not out of spite but because time is too short and they’re not really Democrats even though they stick that “D” next to their name. We have no time to convert them; those that are actual Democrats will be curious and watch us, the boots on the ground. They may say they’re a “D” but if we do this right, they will vote Republican on November 5, 2024, through our action reaching out to their neighbors, friends, and family in our precincts.
Coming up for the important last few months of 2023 we ask our PCOs do the following in their precincts and report their findings at each ICRP meeting in December and January:
- Knock on at least 50% of your “hard Republican” voter doors. Don’t tell them about the Republican party of Island County, tell them you’re their PCO and you’re only job is to LISTEN. They can vent to you on what upsets them about what is happening to Island County, Washington State, and the USA. Do not judge, don’t interrupt, listen, take notes. Our job is to listen to our voters, document what they tell us (NOT what the National RNC says they should care about and even the State GOP). No! we want to know what is worrying them, keeps them up at night, and what they need from the Island County Republican Party to prove we care and get them to vote.
- Coordinate with a fellow PCO or take a friend with you as you knock on the doors if you feel unsafe. It also helps to have someone with you taking notes.
- Let your constituents know we are committed to keeping them highly informed of what the ICRP is doing (this is a good time to educate them on the hierarchy of Republican Party in WA State) and get their permission to email them and / or text them. If they agree, carefully write down this information. If they are unwilling, no problem, ask them if they would be okay if you reached out to them again through a door knock and mailing them information monthly. If they seem angry or stubborn, let them know we understand and the ICRP wants their input as that’s the only way we’ll be able to be sure to give them the platform they deserve in order to be heard. In my own experience knocking on doors for Tim, Mauck, and Richard this last election cycle, people were not happy the ICRP only reaches out them the months ahead of an election, something we can change now.
- Let them know of the upcoming Caucuses and ask them if they would be willing to participate and help us set the agenda for the WA GOP. Try to recruit at least 10 people from your precinct. The goal is to have at least 100 registered voters to caucus from each section of Island County (South Whidbey, Oak Harbor, North Whidbey and Camano).
- If you’re in the very important part of Island County that is designated as South Whidbey, we REALLY NEED ACTIVE PCOs. You’ve got to reach out to your constituents. This is the weight on Island County, South Whidbey. It’s highly populated and many Republican no longer vote ceding South Whidbey to the Democrats. It would be tragic if on November 6, 2024, when the data comes in, we show Camano and Central and North Whidbey are deep red but we’ve lost because South Whidbey tipped us to purple and a “D” win. If this happens, it will be very difficult for the Republican Party to stop the Democrats going forward in Island County. A lot of effort to get 3/4 of the county voting Republican but the effort being useless because South Whidbey was let go.
- Be prepared! There will be upcoming virtual meetings for all PCOs to attend for getting out the vote for Republicans and based on your feedback from your constituents in your precinct it will help us find out what our “hard Republicans” are looking to us to put on our 2024 agenda. More on this in January 2024.
We all have a sense of urgency and that gut feeling that things are not going well. This is our time as PCOs to do something. Our neighbors honestly don’t care that we go the ICRP meetings, most have no idea what the ICRP is, or does, they just want to know that someone is fighting for them and that’s YOU as their PCO. They need you to assure them they are being heard.
As to the “soft Republicans” and eventually the Independents and Libertarians, more to come after the caucuses. Make no mistake, the caucuses are CRITICAL for your precincts, and this is such an incredible way for everyone to have a voice and volunteer to set our agenda. Hence the immediate outreach to the Hard Republicans in your precinct.
If you don’t have a list of the hard or identified Republicans in your precinct, please reach out to Tracy Abuhl and she can give you that list.
At the November 4th ICRP meeting at the Deer Lagoon Grange 846 in Langley, we will go over the above in more detail and discuss data gathering, the caucuses, and since we know many precincts are extremely rural, how a mailing can help you stay in contact with your constituents. In addition, we’ll have a discussion on how the PCOs/Boots on the Ground can get the support and help they need for their precincts to keep in contact with their people every single month until November 5, 2024.
Catherine Boland
PCO 315
ICRP Communications and Outreach Committee
The Caucuses
THE CAUCUS AND CONVENTION ARE COMING SOON!
Mark your calendar for January 13, 2024! This is the date that Republicans around the state and right here in Island County will gather to elect delegates to our county convention and to discuss issues pertinent to the Republican Platforms for our county, state, and national organizations.
As a caucus attendee you will be asked to work with others in your precinct to fashion ideas for Island County’s platform, which a committee will look at to bring forward to our County Convention and your idea could even move forward to the state and national convention for adoption. I find that rather exciting, don’t you?
Island County residents will gather in 3 different locations around Island County, in what is called a pooled caucus. Camano Island is one location, North and Central Whidbey are another and South Whidbey is the 3rd.
The Caucus begins at 10:00 AM on Jan 13.
There will be notices placed in local newspapers and other forms of media to provide the general public about the details. If you are a Precinct Committee Officer or Captain and you haven’t been communicating with the Republicans in your precinct, now is a great time to reach out personally, making sure they are aware of the event.
Each precinct will have its own location or table within the pooled location so they can meet and talk over ideas and vote for the people they want to send as delegates and alternates to the county convention. Elected and appointed PCO’s are automatic delegates, and each precinct will have a certain number of delegates and alternates they can also vote to send. I will not have the actual number until after November 10 and will make that allocation available at that time. If you are not a PCO and want to be considered for a delegate or alternate spot you can let your PCO know, contact the ICRP, or just bring your speech to the caucus and tell those in your precinct caucus you’d like their vote and why!
Those elected to County Convention will gather sometime between January 20 and March 16, 2024. We have not gotten confirmation yet on the locations we are considering. More on that later.
Those delegates and alternates at the county convention can declare their desire to be elected as a delegate or alternate to the WA State Convention which will be held in Spokane April 18-20, 2024.
Delegates and alternates at the State Convention will vie for the 43 delegate spots we are allowed to the National Convention to be held in Milwaukee July 15- 18, 2024.
I have been to a national convention. You want to go. There is nothing more purely political than a national convention in a Presidential year.
Remember the road to Milwaukee beings on Jan 13 right here in Island County.
If you would like to help with these exciting events, please let me know, sandipete@comcast.net
Sandi Peterson
Chair, Caucus and Convention Committee
Initiative Action
Initiatives are going strong with a push to complete gathering enough signatures by December 18. You can find the list of initiatives and details on Let’s Go Washington
The Island County Signing Locations are available weekly if you have not signed, or, if you have already signed, find ten friends who agree with you and bring them to a location.
Whidbey Wonka’s Chocolate Company
810 Southeast Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor
Mon-Sat 11-7
Napa Auto Store
1657 East Main Street, Freeland
Mon-Fri 8:30 – 6:00
Sat- 9-4
Sun 10-3
Mission Motors
Monday – Saturday 11-7
WA-532, Stanwood
Stanwood GOP, 8820 Viking Way, Stanwood
Friday 12- 5
Saturday 10-3
State Committee Report
There is not a lot to report this month from state. All focus is on the midterm elections in November Preparing for the upcoming Caucuses. As you have already read, there is a great deal of work for the members of Central Committee to be doing. As Catherine said, get in touch with your constituents, listen to them and encourage attendance of the upcoming County Caucuses.
Together we can form a good plan for making Island County Red once again!
| Jim Spoltman IRCP State Committeeman | Jessica Thompson IRCP State Committeewoman |
Useful Links
ICRP Homepage: Island County Gop | Island County Republican Party | Oak Harbor
ICRP Facebook Page: Go Here
Voter Interests Project: Voter Interests Project | Exploring the topics on the minds of voters
Let’s Go Washington: Let’s Go Washington
[Editorial Policy: The Voter Interests Project is a non-partisan organization. Part of our mission is to keep voters informed about the activities of elected officials and candidates for public office. We do not endorse or support any particular candidates; therefore, we omit all email links and donation links from candidate communications to supporters. If you are interested in supporting a candidate, we recommend you contact the candidate or their campaign directly.]
