After sitting through the NH GOP Exec Council meeting last night (Mon, Jan 18, 2021), in hopes I would hear a possible solution to the Dec 10th caucus, I am discouraged and am rethinking my involvement with the Republican party in NH.
We want to thank Mike McLaughlin for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you want us to consider, please submit it to skip@ or steve@granitegrok.com.
The situation regarding the Grafton County vs NH GOP and slate of committee members headed toward the state convention is being handled poorly and with ignorance, as far as I am concerned.
A simple matter of finding out why a number of delegates are NOT on the committee list, including myself, two people who ran and were elected delegates, and many others, has turned into a personal attack on Wes Chapmon, who represents us. Today we are still not on that list and that list has vacancies. The manner that Wes is being treated, and therefore us, by the NH GOP is discouraging.
The NH GOP leadership and some committee members of Grafton County are digging in their heels and simply stating they are not wrong, did everything correctly, and yet still have members not listed on their slate for convention and many confused about the process due to a caucus that was confusing and misleading to us.
Not one of these people has offered to meet with us to clear the confusion or set us at ease on the procedure. It is clear to me that they are happy with their list and the rest of us can stand down. This does not make us feel welcome, to say the least.
We are not looking for a fight. We are looking to support the Republican party in NH in hopes of preserving our state and working toward reinstituting conservative leadership within our local communities to overcome the horrendous leftist movement that is being forced on us more so today than ever.
I can tell you that the tension from that has driven more people to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Even I have taken more steps than ever in my life to help reorganize the Republican effort in the Plymouth area and open it up to be more inclusive than it has in the past. Our effort includes coordinating with the GCRC in a more cooperative and organized effort that has existed in the past. The effort against us from the NH GOP is contradictory.
The intention from the NH GOP may not be to disenfranchise us, but the results say differently. The biggest problem I have is the lack of effort to rectify it, coupled with the attacks on a potentially solid leader for our area. I was looking forward to serving on the state committee as well as continuing my efforts locally and throughout Grafton County. Today I am feeling sour and not welcome.
From what I saw and heard some in the NH GOP are angry with Wes Chapmon on a personal level. This is bothersome to me as Wes has been an advocate to those of us who are trying to find how this system works in order to participate.
Wes is a real person who listens, shows his face, speaks directly to us, and actually leads. He is someone who commands respect by his knowledge and actions and someone me, and others will follow and support. He does not possess the political aspiration that many accuse him of, but is sincere in his efforts. To see him treated as an enemy sends a negative message.
For some reason, this dispute has been turned around to give an impression that Wes is unhappy he lost an election for the Chair position of the GCRC. This is insulting, not only to Wes but to us! I know Wes would be happy sitting with members with no executive role in the GCRC and would remain proactive and serve with integrity.
His efforts to resolve the dispute on the caucus is for us, not him. He is the person who offered to help us get answers. That being said, there is a greater effort to support Mike Leviss and use him against Wes. This is where I, personally, have to draw the line. It is misconstrued and just plain wrong to go forward with this argument, yet the NH GOP seems adamant in their position. That is most regrettable and shows a side to the party that is extremely unattractive.
I don’t understand who and why there is support for this Mike Leviss, but they are simply the opposite of Mr. Chapmon. I have met Mike a few times in person and felt he was a left-leaning young man with intelligence, but needed some more life experience. He was not personable and although offered support for my candidacy, I felt it would be a disadvantage to use him as he would turn more people off.
I have seen Leviss’ FB page under an alias of Leron and his offensive posts and statements showing a contradiction of views to conservative and Republican values. It made me very happy that I did not use him in my campaign. I have heard him now in two zoom meetings where he neglected to show his face. Last night he had to be asked to turn on his video, which he did. Now we know he is able to, so the excuse of not having video is suspect in my mind.
Since the caucus, none of us have heard anything from Mike in an effort to meet, coordinate the GCRC with our subcommittee, notify us of the state convention…not a single thing. He is disconnected and has no confidence from us. It is troubling that he is on the committee list as many of us feel he doesn’t even meet the requirements for the Republican party.
Mike has some shadiness to him I, and others, simply do not trust. Yet the NH GOP and some members of Grafton County are in support of him. This is unsettling to me and creates a hard divide. If the members of this county are that divided, I have to question whether I can continue my support in good faith.
This dispute has been dragged out and convoluted. The initial question of the committee list and members who will attend the state convention is still unsettled. I recruited a 22 yr old local person to run for delegate and serve. Today he is discouraged and has lost interest over the reaction to this. He did not even get the chance to get his feet wet. This is what the NH GOP is achieving.
I ran in my district for NH State Rep and currently serve as the Membership Chair for the new and improved PARC (and having Multiple Sclerosis this is no simple task for me), yet I continue my effort to overcome the disappointment felt by so many toward the Republican party to try to rebuild it.
I assisted in holding flag waves every Saturday for the last 20 weeks in a row (and still going) to show a presence and promote Patriotism which has brought many other people out of their shells to take part and get involved. I hold PARC meetings in my living room as well as other gatherings for virtual meetings and training.
I don’t feel my efforts, and others, are being properly acknowledged or appreciated. The NH GOP could have, and should have, addressed our concerns. I’ve said it before, one meeting in my living room would have resolved the issue. Taking down a respected member of the group and fighting our efforts is not working out so well and ultimately self-destructive.
Majorly disappointed,
Mike McLaughlin
Holderness
PARC Membership Chair
2020 NH State Rep Candidate, Grafton Dist 8
