Fellow Republicans,
Two months into my tenure as your new MassGOP Chairman, I'd like to share with you some of the successes (and setbacks) we have seen. This is part of an effort to communicate regularly with our Republican ward, town, and city committee members who should hear directly from party leadership.
Ending Lawsuits Against Republicans
The MassGOP was involved with four lawsuits when I was elected Chair. I am pleased to report that we are successfully resolving three of the cases with no further expense to the party. These cases include: (1) Valanzola v. MassGOP (this case was filed seeking relief from a declaration by the former Chairman that Ms. Valanzola lived outside her district); (2) East Coast Printing, Inc. v. MassGOP (this matter involved a claim alleging wrongful refusal to permit participation as a vendor in coordinated mailing conducted by MassGOP; and (3) Chinnaswamy v MassGOP (this case involved a request to serve as an elected Member of the Republican State Committee).
Our outside counsel, Brian Kelly, recommended that the Republican State Committee vote to dismiss the fourth lawsuit against our party's treasurer that we inherited from before I took office. Attorney Kelly wrote, " There is no valid economic or legal reason for the Committee to continue to pursue this litigation." I agree: it's time to stop suing fellow Republicans and move forward.
This recommendation was made only after much consideration and analysis of the merits of the case (the full analysis can be read HERE). Mr. Kelly is a top-notch attorney, a Republican and a former federal prosecutor who put Whitey Bulger behind bars. He made this recommendation after finding that a decision in 2022 by the party's treasurer to pause spending for seven days did not affect the MassGOP's ability to pay its employees or its bills.
If the Republican State Committee does not decide to end this lawsuit, we will spend endless amounts of money to recoup damages that were negligible. I ran on a platform to end this kind of senseless conflict, and that's what I plan to do. I will ask that your State Committee members vote to dismiss this lawsuit, and I ask that you call them and do the same.
It has been reported that the party's former Chairman is now suing the MassGOP for back pay dating to 2021 when the Chairman took a voluntary salary reduction without reporting this as debt owed by the Party and without having received authorization from the MassGOP Executive Committee, which is responsible for setting the Chairman's salary. This lawsuit is asking for triple damages -- all at a time when the party was left over $600,000 in debt! These funds, and the money that will have to pay for the lawyer to represent the party will come directly out of party and candidate support.
Digging Out from Enormous Debt
On the topic of debt, we have been able to determine that, sadly, we've begun with over $602,000 in unpaid invoices which need to be settled. One example of an invoice that arrived after I took office involves a bill for just over $400,000 for media related expenses. Much of this advertising work appears to have been authorized by the staff of a candidate running statewide. We have discovered documentation supporting the fact that ads were authorized by this candidate’s committee and included the disclaimer, “Paid for and Authorized By…”, but incredibly were billed well after Election Day to the MassGOP. Not on my watch. We are auditing all these invoices to determine who is ultimately responsible for paying them because we have not received sufficient documentation from the vendor.
There are several mail vendors who have had longstanding relationships with the party that were never paid for mailers despite the fact that campaigns sent funds to cover the coordinated services. These small businesses should have been paid immediately for their work and it is not right that these funds were diverted for other purposes.
In addition, we have been busy working with the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) to audit invoices shared between the MassGOP and dozens of campaign committees. About $300,000 in spending was misreported over the last campaign cycle, a circumstance that will require scores of candidates to amend their OCPF filings along with the MassGOP. That work is ongoing but nearing conclusion.
This is a painful circumstance we inherited, and it will not be easy to resolve. My goal as your new Chairman is to limit the damage that these bills may do to Republicans running for office next year.
Earlier this month, the MassGOP's network of donors raised $100,000 to help put our ledgers in the black and we are planning a series of major fundraising events over the next several months. I'm continuing to aggressively call and raise money with the intention of sharing our success with Republicans up and down the ballot next year.
Filling State Committee Vacancies
I ran on a pledge to fill six vacancies on the Republican State Committee that preceded my taking office. The party's bylaws require these vacancies to be filled within 45 days, yet some of these seats went vacant for more than 800 days. That's unacceptable to me, and I know it is to you. All Republicans in Massachusetts deserve to have active representatives on the MassGOP's governing body.
We have held two caucuses so far to fill three vacancies and I've welcomed Maria Collins, Timothy Smyth, Jr., and Dr. Elizabeth Hinds-Ferrick to the Republican State Committee. Two more caucuses will happen in April, and we expect another to be held in May. That will bring our State Committee up to its full 80 members.
Although some have pledged to fight the seating of new members they do not agree with on a philosophical basis, I believe all Republicans who want to be part of growing our party, whoever they might align with, should be seated and welcomed. These battles have gone beyond liberal and conservative to be more factional. For the sake of future candidates, we need to put the old grudges aside and support all Republicans. The MassGOP will move forward with full representation, and I urge you to call your state committee members and ask them to vote to ratify the results of ALL caucuses.
More Events to Come
We recently held an extremely successful "Red, White, and Brew" unity gathering in Worcester where hundreds of Republicans came to help us begin a new chapter for the MassGOP. I express my thanks to Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis for organizing a fun time for us all.
If you would like to host a gathering in support of the MassGOP, please let Executive Director John Milligan know! He can be reached at [email protected].
I have traveled our great Commonwealth and met with many grassroots activists who inspire me to work even harder for our shared conservative values. I couldn't do it without the support that I receive every day from so many of you. Expect to hear from me about our party's activities on a regular basis, and if you'd like to share feedback, please email me directly at [email protected].
