NO LONGER HYPOTHETICAL—A SPECIAL MEETING TO REMOVE CHAIRMAN JONATHAN LINES IS SET

[Gabriela Saucedo Mercer]

A group of State Committeemen has contacted me, and asked me to announce that they are now gathering signatures to hold a special meeting to remove Chairman Jonathan Lines from office.  I have seen the official call. In my judgment, these are serious people and this is a credible initiative. The date of the special meeting has been set. The official call has been printed. It’s evident to me that this group of State Committeemen is paying close attention to following the Bylaws requirements for a special meeting. All that’s needed to make the call complete is for 20% or more of the State Committeemen to sign the call. It is my understanding that members of this group began to contact leaders and State Committeemen around the state, for signature gathering, this week.

The date of the special meeting will be made public soon after the call and signatures are delivered to me. According to the bylaws, Chairman Lines will have ten days to inspect and challenge any signatures. Then it will be my duty, as secretary, to mail the official call to all State Committeemen. I accept my responsibilities as secretary, and I pledge to the State Committeemen that if a call with sufficient qualified signatures comes to me, I will mail the call.

[Myrna Lieberman]

AZ GOP is corrupt and it needs cleaning

[Jay clagg]

Drain the swamp

[Jaspersgoat]

Can't happen soon enough.  But now that this is in the stratosphere I have to wonder what steps the McCain cabal is already taking.  Hoping they don't pull a Hillary and have anyone killed bc I think they are hiding the kind of info that will send someone to prison.

[John D Backer Jr]

Thanks Secretary Mercer, will you be able to send out the call letter despite Kenney keeping you from having access to the membership contact details? Thanks for helping to move this effort forward. How can I and other conservative activists help with the effort?

[Bruce M Piepho]

In order to facilitate this effort to clean up the AZGOP and drain the Phoenix swamp; I have been working to clean up the accuracy for LD14 State committee man/woman information.  In the next week, I will send for confirmation of name, address, email, phone number.

This needs to be done as the permanent AZGOP records are not in the controlled possession of the AZGOP Secretary, Gabby Mercer.

If you  are a state committeeman/woman and live in Cochise, Greenlee or Eastern Pima in LD14; I will be contacting you soon.

[Marianne Ferrari]

Dear Clair: I very much agree with your thoughts regarding the "Incumbent Ladder Climbing system". I feel very strongly that the minute a person decides to campaign for office with the idea of making it a career, at that very moment he has a conflict of interest between himself and the voters. There is just no two ways about it! 

When I found out that my state senator graduated from college with a degree in "public policy." I thought, "Oh, brother! Another one!" It's no wonder I disagree with a lot of the decisions these people make in our behalf! They aren't making them on our behalf!!!

[Eric Barnes]

If we had followed that plan, Clair, Trump wouldn't have made it. :)

[Eric Barnes]

My comment was because Trump *had* no political record.  If everyone had followed your advice, they would have been left out of the election.

[Jack Wilborn]

I don't know how a replacement is selected???  Anyone?

Thanks

[Jaspersgoat]

I think you would have to read through the bylaws.  They are on azgop.org I think is the address.  Yeah, I just went there and it has pictures up from the presidential primary.  Lines wormed his way into a photo op with Trump/Pence.  But the bylaws are there if you scroll to the bottom

[Russell Sias]

There is a fair amount of things that have to occur before we start talking replacement.  Let's get the first things done first.  The first thing is signing onto the call petition, getting it "activated" if you will.  Then there is a whole process that has to happen, like giving Lines an opportunity to respond, etc., etc., etc.

Obviously, when leadership, instead of allowing a proper audit, opens a new bank account instead of just handing the original checkbook over to the new treasurer; thereby denying him historical information that he should have;  or refusing to surrender the membership list to the secretary as required, and even denying bylaw committee members access to one another, ALL of this nonsense should raise red flags.  For us all.

In one of my many queries to Chairman Lines, I asked if he had discovered where the quarter million dollars went (as he was treasurer at the time) but i have received no answer to any of my questions.  He has had ample opportunity to come clean and explain the actions taken by leadership.  I gave him a week deadline to respond, but alas, no response, and we are at 14 days and counting.  IF there was not skulduggery going on, one would think that he would have at the very least, responded by telling me that he had to get the information together so he could pass it on.  I have received no such hint that he intends to do anything other than ignore my request.

Bottom line here is that this is the people's party, not some cabal's party.  WE the peons, have every right to know what is going on, how money is being spent, etc., etc., etc.

The bylaws committee thing really bothers me.  Committee members have NO idea who other committee members are.  So, how do we know that a quorum exists in meetings?  Are we supposed to take Ms. Petsas's word that it does - or does not meet quorum requirements?  As a committee member, I have repeatedly asked for member contact information, AND for minutes of the meetings.  I have received neither!

It is time we figured out what the heck is going on in OUR party!  If it takes a special meeting, or replacing leadership, so be it.  This is OUR party!!!

[Bruce M Piepho]

Hello Russell,

I could not agree with you more.  The AZGOP party is our party and if every PC and State Committee/PC would take an active role in holding the elected state officers accountable - it will be OUR PARTY!!

In a few days the AZGOP books will be under audit by a CPA firm.  The 250 million is high as I have contacted the current Treasurer and the associated law suit activity for ballot harvesting.  His reply:

debt inherited to fight Ballot Harvesting was $235,000 and that is what we reported in the March State Report. Of that $235,000, $75,000 of it has been paid so far and the remaining balance is $160,000. 

The question is who authorized the lawyer engagement?