McDaniel: Create Task Force to Boost Transparency in Virginia GOP

With the next meeting of RPV’s State Central Committee less than three weeks away, one member has added to the agenda a bold proposal to promote increased transparency and openness in party operations.

Kyle McDaniel, first elected in May from the Eleventh District, has proposed the creation of a transparency task force charged with drafting manual of best practices to increase transparency, accountability, and communication within intra-party operations.

McDaniel stresses his proposal for a transparency task force as an opportunity for improvement going forward, rather than a reaction to any specific problem experienced in the past.

“Recognizing that we need to be more proactive in communicating and being transparent is not an indictment of the way things are as intentionally deceptive, rather it is acknowledging we can do better,” wrote McDaniel, in an email to his supporters. “Whether the State Central Committee, district committees, local unit committees, or affiliated clubs and organizations, we have room for improvement, and it will go a long way to signaling to the grassroots that we are listening.”

McDaniel’s proposal calls for the creation of a transparency task force composed of twenty appointed members, representing the Commonwealth’s eleven Congressional districts as well as the auxiliary organizations and other groups within RPV.

The proposal echoes a complaint held by insiders and the rank-and-file alike: too often, important party proceedings remain too opaque to observers from all backgrounds. Details and conclusions often remain unavailable until implemented, whereupon they aren’t always explained well, if at all.

Imagine how rank-and-file members must feel when leaders, insiders, and pundits are left in the dark and gossiping amongst themselves, attempting to understand the goings-on of the party.

Shortcomings in transparency can be problematic for the party even where no overt factionalism exists. Rumors abound where transparency is lacking. In the age of Internet politics, what began with poor communication can quickly morph into an accusation complete with subjects and motivations not reflective of what happened.

Where confidence is lacking, too many come to see their representatives as advocates for someone else’s interests, rather than as approachable governors of the party as a whole.

While no silver bullet exists to stop party infighting, increasing transparency and improving communications efforts are a step in right direction. Reforms, if implemented, not only reduce infighting over contentious issues, but also increase the confidence of the rank-and-file while working to open lines of communication between the party’s strata useful in building a stronger and more effective party, going forward.

In calling for this task force, McDaniel hopes its members will return with a new standard for transparency best practices, rather than a list of often tough to pass Party Plan amendments.

“Although it will ultimately be the decision of the task force to determine its own recommendations, I do not envision a laundry list of party plan amendments,” explained McDaniel. “What I envision is a best practices manual that committees and their leadership can then use at their own discretion.”

“The point is not to force a cookie cutter approach onto all our committees. The point is to give our leaders the tools, resources, and guidance they need in order to be more proactive on their own.”

Although Party Plan amendments may be necessary in the long run, his approach of empaneling a task force to recommend a body of best practices can set into motion a process of continual self-improvement. The wait-and-see approach towards amendments allows for a tighter focus on fixing problems which remain once recommended best practices have been adopted.

Hopefully, though, more open leadership at all levels will set a new standard and many of the problems of the past will resolve themselves following a greater emphasis on transparency. As a whole, the party does better when it uses the carrot instead of the stick, helping Republicans become better leaders through growth, rather than mandating it through new rules.

The purpose of the Republican Party of Virginia and all its official committees is electing all the Republican nominees on the ballot across the Commonwealth. To that end, the party and its leadership must be approachable, open, and transparent with the tens of thousands of activists and donors asked to give their time and treasure in furtherance of the Republican cause.

Although things haven’t always been ideal, Virginia Republicans have an opportunity to do better.

The vote on creating the task force will take place at the next meeting of RPV’s State Central Committee, on August 27th, in Richmond. As proposed, the final report would be presented at December’s SCC meeting held at the annual RPV Advance.

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