Last night the California Republican Assembly (CRA) for Butte County held a public meeting at the Chico City Council Chambers. As was expected, the gathering became a little raucous with brief exchanges between members stemming from a controversial vote by the County Central Committee Board to censure a republican candidate during the heat of a primary run.
The censure was viewed by some as a hatchet job, but others defended it as appropriate. However, by the end of the meeting members seemed to emerged more united and allied than they when they went in. Even apologies were exchanged and bitter rivals shook hands as a gesture of good will. This reconciliation promised to lead the CRA forward to more productive things.
A motion was made by Cliff Wagner-Oroville, to research and adopt new bylaws that will remove the specter of a conflict of interest when considering actions such as censures, endorsements or oppositions to republican candidates or issues, especially in a pre-primary season where emotions tend to run hot. The new bylaws will provide for a precise method how such things will be handled in the future. The motion was enthusiastically approved by all members. This marks a new beginning to protect the integrity of CRA and allow it’s members to stay focused on promoting all republican issues and candidates while avoiding internal conflict. “This will give us clear rules for supporting or opposing candidates in the future and we need that!” said Jack Lee, CRA member.
The CRA Chair, Pete Weber – Chico, kept the meeting moving along in an orderly fashion and allowed all members and persons present a fair opportunity to speak about their concerns and air all grievances. ( Ah, if only the Chico City Council meetings could be run as smoothly and courteously! )
This new bylaw change will next be proposed at the upcoming Republican Central Committee meeting for Butte County. If it is approved, this will go a long way to restoring peace among the local Republican groups.
Currently the bylaws for the BCRP either don’t address this issue clearly or they are not totally consistent with the State Party bylaws. The proposed changes should correct this.