Storrs: When You’re Clinging Onto Control, Interpretation Matters
By Craig Storrs, Jr.
Central Regional Vice-Chairman
Virginia 6th Congressional District
Violating the bylaws.
This seems to be the order of the day for Steve Troxel, Matt Fitzgerald, Ken Adams, and cronies.
The Sixth District Committee meeting held in Waynesboro on September 6, 2018, called by Ken Adams, Larry Bandy, Nate Boyer, David Fisher, Anne Fitzgerald, Matt Fitzgerald, Randy Gilbert, Donald Helms, Steve Kurtz, Charlie Nave, Joe Sonsmith, Carrie Thompson, and Steve Troxel, turned into nothing more than a consistent violation of the bylaws.
First, Staunton City Chairman Matt Fitzgerald moved to strike the agenda item relating to the Bopp Law Firm before we even got through the Pledge of Allegiance and the reading of the Republican Creed in violation of long-standing decorum and process.
Considering the Bopp Law Firm was the focus of my recent appeal to State Central Committee, everyone not part of Steve Troxel’s contingent showed up expecting a report on the legal representation.
We were woefully disappointed when Matt Fitzgerald stated that he knew nothing more on September 6 than he did on June 23, which is ironically stupid – especially since Ken Adams is on record at a recent Roanoke City meeting stating that they received the first bills from the Bopp Law Firm and that they were ”substantial.”
Ken Adams and Matt Fitzgerald keep playing games thinking the rest of the Committee is gullible and won’t question what the Bopp Law Firm is doing on behalf of the Committee – and how much they are charging us to defend the Committee, which the Committee has the unequivocal right to know.
Second, I raised a valid point of order when we attempted to consider the minutes from the July 5 special meeting to hear my appeal. Robert’s Rules of Order states: “A special meeting does not approve minutes; its minutes should be approved at the next regular meeting” (Roberts Rules of Order, p. 473-474).
Steve Troxel stated that this meeting was a regularly called meeting and that Karen Kwiatkowski’s “mislabeling” of the meeting in the subject line of the email does not make this a special meeting.
However, Karen named it as a special meeting in the subject line, the text of the email, and the call was saved as a “Special Meeting Call” – and when Chairman Brown and I referenced it as a special meeting prior to this meeting, there was zero correction from Steve Troxel.
Third, the allies of Steve Troxel complained that the Executive Committee allocated $5,000 for Ben Cline and $5,000 for Corey Stewart and authorized the money to be moved to the federal account. They further complained that Jennifer Brown moved that money at the direction of the Executive Committee.
However, the bylaws that Scott Sayre’s committee approved allows for that action: “The Executive Committee shall act for the District Committee when the latter is not in session, shall be subject to the direction of the District Committee, and shall have all actions reported at the next meeting of the District Committee” (6th District Bylaws, Article VI).
Regardless, Scott Sayre’s committee had set the precedent of the Executive Committee taking unilateral action to move money in 2016. Once we got into these topics, the wheels came off the meeting and John Massoud was unable to enforce Robert’s Rules of Order fairly during debate – likely because he is inexperienced in running meetings.
State Central Committee member Anne Fitzgerald, who violated the State Party Plan with her proxy on June 23, moved to strip Chairman Brown of her authority under the bylaws to write checks and to “disapprove, reject, repeal, and nullify” the Executive Committee motion to support Ben Cline and Corey Stewart.
Anne Fitzgerald very blatantly moved to not support our candidates, which was supported by:
- Matt Fitzgerald, Staunton City Chairman
- Ken Adams, Waynesboro City Chairman
- Sandy Adams, proxy for Carrie Thompson – State Central
- Steve Troxel, State Central
- Larry Bandy, Highland County Chairman
- David Fisher, Bath County Chairman
- Charlie Nave, Roanoke City Chairman
- Randy Gilbert, Shenandoah County Chairman
- Ken Elkins, Augusta County Chairman
- Vance Wilkins, Amherst County Chairman
- Donna Moser, Treasurer
- Karen Kwiatkowski, Secretary
The above-named Committee members tacitly voted to not support Ben Cline and Corey Stewart. In fact, Karen Kwiatkowski (our committee Secretary) blatantly said on Charlie Nave’s podcast that she’s “okay with Ben Cline for now.”
Knowing Karen’s penchant for running for office, the actions by the Troxel allies of the Committee appear to be attempting to set Ben Cline up for a primary challenge in 2020.
This was confirmed by Ken Adams, the Waynesboro City Chairman, when he told the press and the Democrats that Ben Cline ignores black people, and when he said that it was a “reasonable perception” that Ben Cline ignores minority voters.
That is tacit non-support of a duly elected nominee by supporters of Cynthia Dunbar. Ken Adams failed to come up with any reasons to support Ben Cline or Corey Stewart. You can watch the carnage for yourself on this YouTube video.
Steve Troxel’s mantra right now is that Jennifer Brown is a dictator. However, evidence would show that Steve Troxel and his cronies are the true dictators given that they have the voting majority on the Committee, they obstruct any effort to move forward to assist the candidates in their elections by Jennifer Brown, and by evidence of their continuous motions to strip Chairman Brown of her authority under the bylaws that they rammed through in 2016.
All because they are ignoring the voice of the people, who voted 60 percent for Chairman Brown, because they preferred a candidate who could not even get above 40 percent.
