I’m here in Gilford observing the Belknap County Republican Committee (BCRC) officials’ election. I have cameras watching the “voting” laptop. Wow, this is a complete mess.
Norm Silber made a simple motion: “skip everything on the current agenda OTHER than the Pledge of Allegiance and go directly to the voting.” There are 20 people where one laptop (not mine) is being used for all the folks here and around 14 on the Zoom call.
After much discussion, current Chair Alan Glassman insisted that any current BCRC member (attending, Registered Republican, and living in Belknap County) could vote on this motion. The vote was taken with that in mind. Final vote (and originally, there was a disparate number of those here versus the “official” count. Under this new definition, I actually qualified to vote (Registered Republican, live in Belknap County, and I’m present).
Someone on the call challenged that first item “You told me that you had become an Independent”. Well, I did, until I wasn’t (fulfilling a promise I made to Steve Stepanek based on the gains he had made). I hollered out “I’m a Registered Republican” and the challenge was made again to which I replied:
I AM A REGISTERED REPUBLICAN – KEEP UP
Crickets resulted from that. Lots of rancour in the room and on the call. Nancy LeRoy was told, at one point, that it was not her place to “lecture” everyone here (as she was, IMHO, doing)
The motion passed around 22 to 14.
The BCRC Nominating Committee put up Alan Glassman (chair), Mike Bordes (secretary), Travis O’Hara (treasurer). No Second was needed. Norm said that he had emailed this group’s slate – it was turned down as there is no mechanism within the ByLaws. So, Norm nominated himself for chair, Pricilla Bean (secretary) and Dave Strang (treasurer).
The latter slate gave their nomination speeches and the at this moment, Alan is speaking on his own behalf. And slamming Norm’s “behavior”. WHY is he concentrating on his wife’s race down in Florida and Norm’s actions during it as reason why he should be re-elected. He’s really going full rant mode – not exactly what I would consider a rousing “why you should vote for me” but more of a “Norm is a nasty person”.
You know, I really don’t like it when my Groksters are attacked like this but hey, he “started it”.
UPDATE: motion was made and seconded to proceed to the vote.
So, those that were recently elected to the State Committee are either using their own machines here or using the “shared” computer.
I’ll put up the actual votes later but Norm Silber, Pricilla Bean, Dave Strang, Paul Terry won their respective races.
And NOW, with the new slate in place, it is IMMEDIATELY obvious that the Old Guard is ticked.
You know, normal politics.
