The poor Fort Bend GOP. I almost feel sorry for them in their current predicament.
County GOP Chairman Gary Gillen stunned political officials and activists Thursday when he announced that he and party Treasurer Richard McCarter, Secretary Nancy Porter and Parliamentarian Dick Hudgins had resigned over continuing political differences with what Gillen called “fringe elements” within the party.
Then on Friday, members of the local GOP Executive Committee learned that they are at least temporarily unable to appoint even an interim chairman to replace Gillen.
According to the Texas Election Code, if the county party chairman’s position becomes vacant, the party secretary is to call a meeting “for the purpose of filling it.” But with no party secretary either, it’s up to the Texas Republican Party chair, “on written request of a member of the county executive committee,” to call a meeting to fill the county chairman vacancy.
Terese Raia, a member of both the county and State Republican Party executive committees, called State GOP Chairman Tina Benkiser Friday morning to discuss the election code stipulation and to strike a plan to find a replacement chairman for Fort Bend County.
Raia said Benkiser asked if county Executive Committee members had received party Secretary Porter’s written resignation.
“The caveat is, we do not have written notification that Nancy has resigned,” Raia said Friday morning. “Until we find out in writing that she truly resigned, nothing can happen. We are at a standstill. The party cannot call a meeting.”
“That is sort of where we find the situation,” State Republican Party Political and Communications Director Hans Klingler acknowledged Friday afternoon. “Our hope is…we will receive that sort of legal notification so we can move forward. We’re still trying to get our arms around this, too.”
Porter did not immediately respond to a call seeking clarification on whether she has officially resigned.
Ms. Porter apparently left a comment on the story at Fort Bend Now that was a copy of an email she sent to Gillen announcing her resignation, so perhaps that will count. I figure the state party will take action as fast as it can, given the pickle they’re in now, with primary filing season opening three weeks away. One commenter elsewhere in that story reports that Gillen’s predecessor, Eric Thode, will step in on an interim basis. We’ll see what happens – whatever it is, it’ll be fun to watch. Juanita and Hal have more.