7/31/2019 Webster State Committee Letter

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Dear State Committee Members,

Amendments to the Maine Republican Party Bylaws were scheduled to be reviewed and voted on at the

State Committee Meeting to be held in Fort Fairfield on Saturday, July 21, 2012. Several recent events,

however, have led the Rules and Procedures Committee to request that Chairman Webster postpone this

business until a later date and remove this item from the agenda.

Bylaws are an important part of the Republican Party structure, and they should not be taken lightly. The

Rules and Procedures Committee is charged with reviewing, vetting, and drafting proposed language for

each amendment that is presented to the State Committee for approval. It is vitally important that

amendments that are presented are fully explained and justified so that voting members present have a

complete and accurate understanding of each amendment. The rationale for each amendment presented

can only be provided by the members of the Rules and Procedures Committee.

Unfortunately, some misinformation regarding the proposed bylaws changes has been widely circulated

among both members and non-members of the State Committee. For example, the proposal which would

add the chairmen of the State Committees Standing Committees does NOT include the chairman of the

Convention Committee. There are three Standing Committees, i.e., Finance, Budget and Rules. The

Chairman of the Finance Committee is a voting member of the State Committee and a current member of

the Executive Committee. Members of the Budget Committee are selected from the voting membership

and, therefore, are already voting members of the State Committee. Granting voting privileges to the

chairmen of other standing committees is consistent with what many organizations do, including the

Republican National Committee. In addition the thought was that expanding membership with voting

privileges allows more voices with varying perspectives to be heard. Ultimately, however, the decision to

adopt, amend or reject this proposal, like all others, will be decided by the full membership of the State

Committee.

It is imperative that as many State Committee Members as possible have the direct opportunity to listen to

the presentation by the Rules and Procedures Committee, ask questions and formulate an informed

decision on how to vote. Past experience is that a quorum is difficult to obtain when the State Committee

Meeting is held in a location that requires significant travel for a majority of the voting members. The

current RSVP count for the July 21st meeting indicates that a quorum may be achieved, however, at least

22 of those attendees will be carrying a proxy vote. As a result, the elected members will not have an

opportunity to fully participate in the discussion about bylaws that define the structure and operation of

the State Committee.

The amendments intended to be presented at the July meeting will be rescheduled for a later meeting that

will be held in Augusta at which a greater number of State Committee Members will be able to attend.

Best regards,

The Rules and Procedures Committee