Good grief, I’ve seen it all now. I’ve been very kind to Harris County Republican Party Chair Jared Woodfill this year because he has made a few changes and is a good spokesperson for the party. And I guess I’ve been writing for such a long time about Jared and the control that a small group of people have on the party that I’m no longer “outraged” about anything they do. Still, this one was mind blowing.
First, a bit of set up. Recall that the party has less than 50{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the Precinct Chair positions filled in the county. This is by design for a number of reasons – easier to get a quorum at the Executive meetings, fewer votes to chase at those meetings, and the big one, most people aren’t pure enough for Jared and the small group that controls the party.
Second, when a precinct does not have an elected chair, anyone can apply to fill the role. The applicant must go through the Vacancy Committee, whose members are primarily chosen by the precinct chairs from the Senate Districts. But, the HCRP Chair, in this case Jared Woodfill, is allowed to appoint a member. Jared, as I have told you before, appointed a guy named Terry Lowry. Lowry is a sort of super Pharisee/Sadducee/zealot in his quest to keep the party free of homosexuals and people that are, in his mind (warped as it is) pro-choice – they don’t have to be pro-choice, they just answer questions differently than Lowry wants them to. Because of his status as a Woodfill appointee and party insider, his influence on the committee is larger than one vote.
Third, recall that the Vacancy Committee denied the applications of two supremely qualified candidates last year, Chris Busby and Nghi Ho. I happened to hear Mr. Ho today at the Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club – goodness, he is like, I don’t know, everything Republicans need in a candidate! Wow. But the Vacancy Committee, led by Terry Lowry and a couple of other “Christians” said no to Busby and Ho because they aren’t the right kind of Republicans.
Okay, so there is your context. Now, imagine my surprise when I see this entry on the campaign finance report for the Harris County Republican Party:
Unbelievably, Jared and the HCRP paid Terry Lowry $5,000 to recruit precinct chairs. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be surprised, after all, I did write this about Jared and Terry. But how was I to know that Jared would pay the guy to do what most of us have been doing for free – recruiting people to be precinct chairs? When I think about all of the volunteer work done by the hundreds of Republican Women, tea party groups, liberty groups, and Pachyderm clubs in Harris County, it makes me sick that Jared would pay Lowry five grand to recruit certain types of precinct chairs.
And what, exactly, did the party get for their money? Is there a report? An audit of what Lowry did? Or is it just that Jared wanted to funnel money to Lowry to ensure his support? After all, Jared isn’t doing too well in the finance department and his campaign can’t pay Lowry the kind of money that he used to. We’ll have more on those financial problems soon.
I challenge you to search this site and read for yourself about the incestuous relationships in the HCRP under Jared’s leadership. We’ve written dozens of articles backed up with facts. Try this search for a start. Like I said, Jared has made some changes and is a good spokesperson but when I think of all the people giving $10 and $15 to the party plus volunteering their time to help and then Jared funneling $5,000 to Terry Lowry for nothing, it makes me sick to my stomach.
UPDATE
I spoke to HCRP Chair Jared Woodfill about this today. Obviously Jared disagrees with my assessment that this was for nothing. Jared told me that the program run by Lowry was for 100,000 targeted Robocalls, 15,000 targeted mailers and produced, they think, 25 applications for Precinct Chair. It will be interesting to see if anyone challenges this and asks for documentation on these results and if they do, what documentation is provided.
This needs investigating — but there is no way we will get one.
Jared wouldn’t let his little scheme here be exposed.
Our DA sure won’t pursue it — if her office can’t get an indictment of Denise Pratt, how on earth could we expect competence here?
And Vince Ryan? Too untrustworthy to be bothered with.
And perhaps the most disturbing thing is this — given his roll on the Vacancy Committee, Terry Lowry already has an obligation to be out there recruiting precinct chairs. After all, that is half of the function of the committee. Why the hell is he getting paid to do what he is already supposed to be doing in that capacity? Even those who back Jared ought to be screaming for answers on that one.
You’re much kinder than I: he’s not even a good spokesman in my book.
Thanks for another article of substance. The HCRP race is where pulling no punches among the Republican candidates is required. Jared Woodfill’s main objective has become to be re elected. We need a Chairman that will work to win elections at all levels of government without compromising integrity and conservative Republican principles that make sense. We have a such a candidate in Paul Simpson.
They got 25 for that? BWAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAH
The bare minimum postage for 15,000 mailers is $3,000, not including printing costs and mail processing. The cheapest robocalls in the market cost 2 cents..so there is another $2,000. The party apparanlty owns or controls its own robo dialer, the use and control of which remains illusive. Why Lowry would be paid for calls and the full costs of said mailer seem arbitrary and don’t add up…
And this post just explains why I left the Harris Co GOP three years ago. I turned in my credentials as a precinct chair, gave up all financial support as well. Several years ago, at the Executive Meeting, there was a big outcry because several good candidates for precinct chairs had been squashed by the so called, “Vacancy Committee” because the questions on pro life were not answered the way the committee chair wanted them answered. And, now I read, its happening again or better yet, it never stopped.
I have said several years ago that Jared Woodfill needs to resign, and this is not the first time, his mismanagement of funds has come into question. Under his leadership, we can’t even get a good candidate to run for mayor.
I have requested from the Harris County Republican Party treasurer and my senate district chair and SREC member to see a copy of the letter supposedly mailed out using these party funds. I made the request Tuesday morning, Jan. 28. So far, I have not received the letter. I am told the only person with a copy is SD 7 Chair David “pro-life/anti-gay” Riddle, and that he is out of town.
If there really were 15,000 letters sent out, then it is likely that every incumbent precinct chair had letters sent into his or her precinct, urging voters to sign up and thus dislodge them as precinct chair.
Will someone who got this letter scan and post it?
The irony is that the Party would give money to Lowry, who has regularly blocked persons from serving as precinct chair, in an effort to recruit precinct chairs! He has probably alienated or helped reject more than 25 precinct chair applicants from serving already.
The Harris County Republican Party claims that this precinct recruitment effort was a joint effort with elected officials such as Rep. Debbie Riddle and Commissioner Jack Cagle. Finance reports indicate that Judge Sheri Dean also participated. Donations from Judges Lombardino and Phillips were also close in time to this program, but their donations are indistinguishable in public filings from many other candidates who in the past few months have paid for radio or print advertising with Terry Lowry’s radio program or upcoming mailer. Here is an incomplete list of recent donors to Mr. Lowry’s operation. Note that many candidates may purchase the same advertising through the buffer of their political consultants, and in such instances the Ethics Commission campaign finance reports will not show their actions:
Harris County Republican Party, $5000, precinct chair recruitment program
Sheri Dean, $5000, voter registration and precinct chair recruitment advice and information
Dan Patrick, $9780, radio
Eric Opiela, $4950, radio
Russell Lloyd, $5000, print
Dan Hinde, $10,000, advertising
Paul Bettancourt, $3000, radio
Glenn Hegar, $4950, radio
Jared Woodfill, $3075, radio
Debbie Riddle, $5000, print
Charlie Prine, $11,000, advertising
Jim Wallace, $10,000, advertising
John Phillips, $10,000 advertising
James Lombardino, $15000, advertising
Barry Smitherman, $9780, advertising
Paul Simpson, $5000, print
I am unable to locate an expense on the Cagle campaign report showing a payment either to Lowry or to his What’s Up “radio” company.
But I did learn that despite spending $5000 of Harris County Republican Party money, only 465 precincts had chairmen candidates file in 2014, while there were 492 precincts for which candidates filed in 2012. So not only was this expense nutty, it was worthless. I doubt seriously there are 25 persons who responded to some robocalls asking them to file for precinct chair. If there are, produce the list!
Still no copy of the letter, and no return phone call from HCRP headquarters after three daily requests.