In this installment, candidate Don Large tells voters what his top three issues are in his quest to be Chair of the Harris County Republican Party.
OUTREACH
For eight years, the incumbent has repeatedly stated that people will care when you show them that you care. Results matter. By that standard, the incumbent has failed to lead.
We need to go to every part of Harris County, from Gulfton to Greenspoint, from Alief to Aldine, from the Third Ward to Tomball, from Katy to Clear Lake, to the Heights, Montrose, and the East End. Before we talk about our positive, reform message for the future, we need to listen to the voters in all of these communities. We need to be more directly involved in their everyday lives. Simply showing up presenting gifts at one school per year does not make for a robust program of community, non-governmental involvement by the Harris County Republican Party.
We will need to identify, in every precinct and state house district throughout Harris County, a new generation of grass roots activists, campaign workers, and, ultimately, candidates. We can do this by providing, on a County Party basis, internships to area high school seniors and college students, to do work on behalf of the Party, to work in legislative and municipal offices, and, most importantly, to work on local campaigns so that can learn more about the areas they can humbly serve in the future.
COORDINATION AND TRAINING
For eight years, we have talked a good game about providing improved training opportunities for our precinct chairs, candidates, and their supporters to get our message out to the public. However, results matter. On that basis, the incumbent has failed to lead.
I want our precinct chairs, primary candidates, general election nominees, and elected and appointed officials to have more training to get our positive, reform agenda out to our base voters, independents, and persuadable Democrats so that we can be a competitive, majority party in future election cycles. I want our precinct chairs to have the tools and resources, especially regarding the Internet and social media networking, to get our message out to the friends and neighbors, and coworkers with whom they pray with in synagogue on Saturday or in church on Sunday. I want to have a rigorous training program, with multiple programs, to assist prospective Republican candidates in learning what it takes to run a political campaign in the third largest county in the nation. I want to provide continued education and training in voter outreach, voter mobilization, and message communication to our elected and appointed officials.
Most importantly, I will work to get our Republican candidates elected up and down the ballot. I will remain neutral throughout the primary season. Once the April runoffs have concluded, I will work night and day on a revitalized and rejuvenated coordinated campaign effort to provide our general election nominees with coordinated blockwalking, phonebanking, and early voting and Election Day volunteering. We cannot let the other party out-mobilize in Harris County ever again. That will not happen when I am Chairman.
ETHICS
For the past eight years, it is abundantly clear, given the number of scandals that have swirled around our own Republican elected and appointed officials, that we have given public ethics very short shrift. Results matter. Undeniably, the incumbent has failed to lead.
In public virtue, our precinct chairs, candidates, appointed officials, and elected officials need to hold to the highest ethical standards. I would say simply that the ethics test is simply this – did you do something wrong or give the appearance of doing something wrong? If you did, then you need to publicly disclose and apologize for the words and or actions and or omissions. If the actions and or omissions can give rise to arguable criminal liability, you need to immediately resign your position. When we Republicans believe that our individual elected and appointed officials can operate above the law, we have no credibility and no trust with the voters of Harris County.
In addition, I will appoint an Ethics Director for the Harris County Republican Party. The Ethics Director will serve as a resource to clear any and all questions regarding public ethics. Furthermore, I will institute a program of ethics education, for which our candidates, appointed officials, and elected officials can receive official certification, subject to periodic renewal.