Vermont Republican Party Reorganization 2013
Beginning in September, Republican voters will start the process of reorganizing the party in Vermont. It's a bottom-up process and the first step is the 200 or so town meetings across the state.
The designated town meeting date, state-wide, is Thursday, September 19, 2013. While most towns will have their meetings in the evening on that day, some towns are having their meetings up to 9 days earlier and an even smaller number will have them later. IMPORTANT: To make sure you don't miss your town meeting, check your Town / County Meeting Information.
If you wish to be among the power-wielders at any level of the party, this is where you start. Those who show up at the town meetings have the potential to attain key party positions at the town and county level.
For a heads up on the entire process and to get your questions answered, join the teleconference.
| What: | Vermont Republican Party Reorganization Teleconference |
| When: | Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 9:00 pm (Eastern) |
| Where: | Your home or mobile telephone |
| Details: | To receive teleconference call details, Sign up or text Vermont PC, {your name}, {your e-mail address} to (973)498-8066 |
To get the teleconference details, text 'Vermont PC' with your name and e-mail address to (973)498-8066 or sign up at Project City Hall ( http://projectcityhall.blogspot.com/p/sign-up.html ).
Can you help yourself out?
Each of you has family, friends, and neighbors. Share this post with them so that they can learn how to attain their share of power in the party.
To learn more about what committeemen are, if you don't already know, take a minute and read Precinct Committeeman - A Center of Power (http://projectcityhall.blogspot.com/2011/10/precinct-committeeman-center-of-power.html ).
Teleconference
To answer questions and plan to install like-minded people in the Republican Party organization, Project City Hall will produce a live teleconference to discuss strategy and answer your questions.
Who Should Attend
- Anyone who wants to take effective action.
- Anyone who wants to take their country back.
- Anyone who values freedom and liberty.
- If you're already a town, city, or county committee member, attend to encourage others and to relate your own experience.
What You'll Learn
- The power of the committee member.
- What happens at a meeting.
- Why you need to connect with like-minded individuals before the meeting.
- Why you should bring your posse.
- How to win in a competitive election.
How to Determine Your Meeting Location
- Contact your county party (County Party Information) and ask for the date, time, and place of the meeting. (Please share it with Project City Hall and we'll post that information below. Town / County Meeting Information)
Vermont Statutes
The rules for the town, city, and county committees are dictated by Vermont statutes and state party bylaws. Project City Hall has put together the relevant Vermont Election Code, Chapter 45 Political Parties (Condensed) for your convenience, but don't be afraid to read the complete Vermont Statutes, Title 17, Chapter 45 -- it's educational.
While most counties follow the state bylaws and rules, a few may have their own special rules. For those, you'll need to get your local county party rules. Contact your county party to get it's bylaws and rules. (Project City Hall is building a library of State and County bylaws and rules, so if you are able to get or create an electronic copy, please share it.)
Robert's Rules of Order
On the teleconference, I will discuss Robert's Rules of Order. Here is a link to the Motion Chart which will be the reference for the discussion.
I won't be going over the whole motion chart, but you should print it out and bring it with you to any meeting that you attend. The teleconference will take the view of the minority and show you how to get your officers elected or at least make sure that you don't get run over. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.
If you intend to take a leadership role in the party, and we would hope you do, your investment in the complete edition Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised (RRONR), 11th Edition will pay off many times over. Robert's Rules is revised only once every ten years, so it's got a long shelf life. The paperback edition is widely available for under $15 at most book outlets. There is no electronic edition.
Preparing for the Meeting
When you have a plan, you don't have to guess what to do next. Written plans are always better than winging it. With that in mind, we've put together the Precinct Committee Candidate Checklist to give you a starting point for your plan.
- Call your county central committee and ask how many officer and delegates your town, city, or county can elect.
- Ask for the names of each of the current officers and delegates and their contact information (e-mail address and telephone number).
- Ask how many people from the county attended at the previous meeting (two or four years ago), and how many votes were cast for each nominated officer and delegate on the ballot.
- Join other Vermonters on the live teleconference call (see above) where you can ask questions.
- Prepare printed information about yourself so that you can quickly communicate the information to everyone you meet from your town, city, and county.
- Prepare printed information about any party platform ideas that you have.
If you're not currently registered, or your registration does not match your current home address, you may still have time to get your registration in order. Contact your Town or City Clerk.
Winning the Election
Winning a town or city committeeman election can be a little challenging, unless no one is running against you. Often you'll find that the same people have been holding these positions over a long period of time. Incumbency is, generally, not a sufficient reason to re-elect someone. Nevertheless, you can win if you prepare in advance and have a plan. Many people are looking for leaders and will accept almost anyone who simply steps up to lead. Just look at your current set of elected officials for proof of that.
In general, assume a positive attitude and you're very likely to have a say in the party process. Only the people who get elected get to vote on party matters. Your goal is to get elected as a town committeeman or a county delegate or both. If you don't have election as your goal, then you should help elect like-minded people.
Election to the town and county positions are achievable even by newcomers. If you aspire to a state-level position, you're now in a different ballpark. Contact us directly, if you're in this category.
After the Election
- Get a current copy of your state party central committee by-laws and of your county party central committee by-laws along with the rules of the committee you are elected to.
- Keep in touch, because we'll be producing training teleconferences about all the aspects of being an effective meeting participant.
How the Republican Party Works in Vermont
For the Republican Party, Vermont has a four-level process.
- Direct election of town or city committeemen at town caucuses.
- Election of town or city officers and county delegates at town committee meetings.
- Election of county officers and state delegates at county committee meetings.
- Election of state officers at state committee meeting.
County Party Information
If you have corrections or additions to this information, please let us know.
Town / County Meeting Information
On September 12, 2013, the state party site posted a town meeting list. Our independent research produced a few more meetings and one or two discrepancies. You should always check with a local person to verify the information so that you show up at the right place on the right day and time.
There are over 100 towns that do not have meetings scheduled. If you are in one of those towns, we urge you to contact your county chair to get an instruction packet to hold a meeting in your town. These meetings must be completed before October 1, 2013.
Not all the meeting information is publicly available. For the towns that have a town chair, the chair's name and contact information is listed to the right. The dates of meetings that have conclude are in red, those happening today are in yellow. If your town is not listed, contact the county chair, whose contact information is listed for each county.
If you have corrections or additions to this information, please let us know.
You've Got A Friend
If this is your first meeting, it helps to get together with others who may be a little more organized. The party insiders already know the other insiders, so incumbents, as usual, always have an advantage. Here are a list of contacts, by county, who are willing to take you under their wing, so to speak. You may not agree with them on everything, but they are not insiders, so they, like you, are probably in the minority.
All politics is local. We cannot reach the goal alone. We need your help. These people are actively recruiting town and county committeemen in their county. If you'd like to recruit for your county, add your comment to this article and a way to contact you.
County Rules Analysis
Below you will find an analysis of county organization rules that differ from the norm.
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