County Chairman reform plank rejected by RPT platform committee

A proposed state platform plank designed to help county parties avoid the leadership situation that Travis County GOP finds itself in was defeated in committee at the Republican Party of Texas convention today.

According to TJ Scott, the Senate District 14 Convention platform chair back in March and a state delegate at this week's convention, a "platform subcommittee made it shorter and passed it, but the full platform committee struck it."

This was the version that was passed by Senate District 14 convention:

"County Chairman Election -- The Texas Election Code should be changed to eliminate the position of County Chairman of a political party as a publicly elected official, and the rules of the Republican Party of Texas should be modified to elect County Chairmen by a majority of votes in the county executive committee."

A lot of SD delegates weren't happy with this kind of thing.

State party officials and convention committee members have been pushing for a shorter and more succinct platform for 2016, which may account for the rejection of the proposed plank regardless of its merits. We have no confirmation at this time why Travis County GOP's call for a much-needed reform was denied, but Scott tells us he will consider bringing this up when the permanent platform committee is selected or even on the floor of the full convention later this week.

The names and contact information for each of the platform committee members is included below.

If you want to know more about incoming Travis GOP Chairman Robert Morrow -- and why the Travis County delegation is nearly unanimous in its support of a new way to select county chairmen -- please watch this five-minute clip:

   

TEMPORARY PLATFORM COMMITTEE

Platform and Resolutions	Nueces	20	Angie	Flores (CHAIRMAN)	(361) 695-2048	aflorestx@me.com
Platform and Resolutions	Smith	1	Ron	Shaffer		ron.shaffer11@aol.com
Platform and Resolutions	Kaufman	2	Ray	Myers	(214) 724-0337	raymyers24@yahoo.com
Platform and Resolutions	Nacogdoches	3	Sharron	Graves	(936) 564-1221	sgraves2042@att.net
Platform and Resolutions	Chambers	4	Allen	Martin	(832) 984-8260	allenmartin43@yahoo.com
Platform and Resolutions	Williamson	5	Steve	Armbruster	(512) 264-4327	stevetxgop@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Harris	6	Keith	Nielsen	(281) 830-2741	keith@keithnielsen.com
Platform and Resolutions	Harris	7	Alex	McCoy	(832) 528-5041	awmccoy04@att.net
Platform and Resolutions	Collin	8	Mary Carl	Finkelstein	(972) 896-8017	jmcfink@verizon.net
Platform and Resolutions	Tarrant	9	Dave	Gebhart	(817) 280-9874	dave.gebhart@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Tarrant	10	Faith	Bussey	(817) 905-3149	faithbussey@att.net
Platform and Resolutions	Galveston	11	H. Scott	Apley	(936) 714-5873	hsapley@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Tarrant	12	Jonathan	Gaspard	(972) 375-8117	jonathan.gaspard@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Ft. Bend	13	David	Hamilton	(832) 677-1478	hamilton4tx@hotmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Travis	14	Davida	Stike	(512) 569-9092	davida.stike@sbcglobal.net
Platform and Resolutions	Harris	15	Rolando	Garcia	(713) 471-2669	rdgarcia03@yahoo.com
Platform and Resolutions	Dallas	16	Denise	McNamara	(972) 795-5118	denisemcnamara@sbcglobal.net
Platform and Resolutions	Harris	17	Roman	Klein	(713) 927-3614	rklein42@swbell.net
Platform and Resolutions	Refugio	18	Todd	Gallaher	(512) 694-5724	toddgallaher@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Atascosa	19	Stuart	Knowlton	(210) 410-7278	stuart.knowlton@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Nueces	20	Adam	Hinojosa	(361) 726-2800	adam.hinojosa@yahoo.com
Platform and Resolutions	Guadalupe	21	Robert	Grafe	(830) 743-3399	appraisergrafe@yahoo.com
Platform and Resolutions	Navarro	22	Chris	Baldwin	(903) 654-7773	baldwinco@msn.com
Platform and Resolutions	Dallas	23	Stephen	Broden	(214) 394-0098	stephenbroden1@sbcglobal.net
Platform and Resolutions	Llano	24	Jerry	McIntyre	(830) 798-3836	srathair@verizon.net
Platform and Resolutions	Kendall	25	Richard	Sena	(210) 833-4904
Platform and Resolution	Bexar	26	Fred	Bible	(210) 696-6602	fredbible@satx.rr.com
Platform and Resolutions	Cameron	27	Dorothy "Morgan"	Graham	(956) 622-1010	morgangrahamgop@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Lubbock	28	Brant	O'Hair	(806) 438-5793	tbrant@ohair.com
Platform and Resolutions	El Paso	29	Mark	Dunham	(915) 346-8888	dunhammark@yahoo.com
Platform and Resolutions	Denton	30	Kim	Moody	(940) 453-4157	30platform@gmail.com
Platform and Resolutions	Randall	31	Alan	Arvello	(806) 681-6756	arvello1611@gmail.com

CORRECTION: A previous draft mistakenly contained the members of the Temporary Rules Committee. 


Photo credit: Screenshot from Austin cable channel 8, TWC News.