New Buncombe GOP Website

The Buncombe County Republican Party has a cool new website up. Check it out if you haven't already seen it. http://www.buncombegop.org

Since this new site does a pretty darn good job of keeping everyone updated on the latest news and upcoming events, I'm not going to bother posting to this blog anymore unless there is an event that is very specific to West Asheville or to precinct 15. No point in duplicating efforts.

Great precinct 15 showing at 11th District Convention

Buncombe County had a great turnout today at the 11th District Republican Convention with 43 delegates, more than any other county. I don't know this for a fact, but I'd be willing to bet that our Asheville precinct 15 had a better turnout than any other precinct with 5 good Republican neighbors attending. Thank you so much for your participation!!!

Meet the candidates!

We have several opportunities to meet candidates this month, and I hope you all will take advantage of them. The primary IS important! The presidential primary is not the only reason to vote! We have contested Republican primaries for many offices, including Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, 11th District Congressional seat, County Commissioners, and probably others that I am forgetting.

Let's all be INFORMED voters!

You can always visit the North Carolina GOP website to learn more about your choices.
http://ncgop.org/home/candidates.asp

I have been informed of 3 events for April (I'm sure there are plenty of others) where you can meet and learn about some of the Republican candidates. These are all listed on the Asheville 15 calendar for your convenience.

Justic Orr (candidate for Governor)
Vision 20/20: Jobs for the Future: Investment in Growth, Jobs, and People
10:00 am Friday, April 11th
South Buncombe – Skyland Library
260 Overlook Road, Asheville, NC 28803

Please join Gubernatorial Candidate Bob Orr (R) for discussion of his Economic Development Plan.

For additional information: Pat Nelli 919-836-2228 pnelli@orr2008.com

(This is not intended as an endorsement of Bob Orr over the other fine Republican candidates - merely passing along an opportunity that was announced to us)

Meet and greet the Buncombe County Commissioner Candidates
The League of Woman Voters of Asheville Buncombe County invites you to meet and greet the Buncombe County Commissioner Candidates.
April 14, 2008, from 7-9p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, located at 236 Charlotte Street, Asheville.

Questions, contact Ruth Christie, President at 232-2883 or e-mail at rachristie@charter.net. You may also reply to Barbara Panarites, Forum Chair at 236-5987, e-mail bpanarites2@charter.net.

Candidates' Forum for NC Court of Appeals and U.S. Congressional District 11
The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County and of Henderson County will present a Candidates' Forum for the primary candidates for the NC Court of Appeals and U.S. Congressional District 11. This event is free and open to the public.

Who: North Carolina candidates running for the Court of Appeals and U.S. Congressional District 11 in the May 6 Primary.
When: April 28, 2008
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Where: Calvary Episcopal Church, 2840 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. For directions, please call (828) 684-6266 or visit their website at www.calvaryfletcher.org.

For more information, contact Ruth Christie at (828) 232-2883 or rachristie@charter.net or Barbara Panarites at (828) 236-5987 or bpanarites2@charter.net

URTV Congressional Debate

A Congressional candidates debate was recently recorded for URTV. You can catch the debate online: http://urtvforums.org/debate.php

All 3 candidates - Armor, Campbell, and Mumpower all participated. The debate was moderated by Buncombe GOP Chairman, Dr. Tim Johnson.

This video requires that you have Flash installed.

Watch the Gubernatorial Debate online

Wondering which gubernatorial candidate to support in this year's primary? Check out the recent debate in Henderson County. There will be another debate right here in Asheville on May 1, so you will have an opportunity to see all the candidates in person and ask any questions that you have.

Here is a message from the Henderson County GOP about their debate with links to the video:

The debate this morning was fantastic with over 300 people in attendance. The partnership of the party and the Men's Club made the work easier and the media folks from the Times-News, Tribune, WHKP, and WLOS all did a very professional job. It was a win for the voters, our party and the candidates.

The Tribune did both "before and after" straw polls, the results of which will be in their issue which comes out tomorrow afternoon and Friday morning at your regular locations or at Mark White's office on White St.

If you didn't make it you can watch it on the Times-News site, where they have broken into question by question sections.

Or if you want it all from start to finish as one piece, here is the WLOS link.

The WLOS link has some glitches and you'll need to nudge the player forward now and then.

First (in a while) Young Republicans meeting

A Young Republicans group is forming anew in Buncombe County!

When: 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month at 2pm
Where: El Chapala restaurant, 868 Merrimon Ave. (around the side of the building).
Who: Everyone is welcome. "Young Republican" generally refers to any Republican under 40-ish but the young at heart are also welcome to attend.

The first meeting will be held on Saturday, March 22, at 2pm.

See you there!

New precinct officers and delegates!

We had a nice precinct meeting this morning. 5 Neighbors got together to nominate delegates and alternates and also a Vice Chair and Secretary for our precinct. I think the officer appointments don't become official until the Executive Committee approves them, but I am so thrilled that we have a couple of good Republican neighbors who are willing to fill those roles. Thank you to all of you who attended the meeting this morning. It was great to sit down and get to know each other a little better!

Delegates from our precinct will be able to attend and vote at the District Convention on April 26 and the State Convention June 6-8. Everyone is welcome to attend, even if you are not a voting delegate.

The County Convention was a great opportunity to hear from Republicans running for local, state, and federal offices. Congratulations to Tim Johnson who is now our Buncombe County Chairman and Mark Delk who is our Member-at-Large!

Last Night's Congressional Debate

The 11th Congressional District Republican Debate last night was very informative and exciting. We had a very nice crowd that asked the candidates great questions. For those of you who missed it, the Asheville Citizen-Times has a very nice write-up about it today:

Local GOP candidates face off

The event was also recorded and will be aired on URTV the first week in April or you can watch it right now online:
2008 US Congressional 11th District Republican Candidates Debate 2-23-2008

Looking for precinct delegates!

I just received a correction on how many delegates our precinct can have and how that process works (I previously had it wrong). The short version is that our precinct has 5 delegate and 5 alternate seats, so we are looking for 10 good Republicans to join us at our Precinct Meeting on March 1 at 8:30 AM. If none of this makes any sense to you, come anyway! Someone will guide us all through the process.

Being a precinct delegate will give you the opportunity to vote at the County Convention. Whether or not you become a delegate, you are still welcome to attend the precinct and county meetings. I have been told repeatedly that these meetings are rather dull but I don't believe it for a second! I am looking forward to getting to know my neighbors and participating in the political process. I think it will be very interesting and educational. I hope you can make it!

Details about Precinct 15 delegates:

If we have more than 565 REPs at our convention, precinct 15 is allocated 5 delegates and 5 alternates to the Buncombe County GOP (BCGOP) convention. At that point, because not all precincts will be maxed out, a fairly complicated scheme for seating delegates kicks in (Click this link for even more complicated detail). If we have fewer than 565 REPs at our convention, all REPs from our precinct can be seated at the BCGOP convention.

If we have more than 198 REPs at our convention who want to be delegates to the 11th district and the state convention, we are allocated 1 delegate and 1 alternate to the 11th district convention and the same to the state convention. At that point, a second fairly complicated scheme for listing delegates to future conventions kicks in. If we have fewer than 198 REPs at our convention who want to be delegates to the 11th district and the state convention, all of your delegates can be district and state convention delegates.

GOP Calendar Created

I've put together a calendar for an easy view of what's happening in the area. The blue events are recurring meetings, while the red events are special, one-time events.

http://my.calendars.net/asheville15

For future reference, I've also added a permanent link to the sidebar, just under the Email Newsletter signup form.

Buncombe County Republican Party Precinct Meetings and County Convention

Event details:
Saturday, March 1
Ferguson Auditorium of the Laural Building at AB-Tech in Asheville.
A donation of $5.00 will be requested from each attendee.

8:00 AM - Doors open for setup.
8:30 AM - Registration begins.
9:00 AM - Precinct meetings begin.
The precinct meetings are open to all registered Republicans in Buncombe County. Any citizen who is a registered Republican in Buncombe County by the end of the day on Thursday, January 31, is eligible to be elected a voting delegate to the County Convention.
9:30 AM - Buncombe County convention begins.
At the convention, we will elect a new County Chairman and elect delegates to the 11th District Convention (April 26) and the NCGOP State Convention (June 6-8).

Our precinct has 8 delegate positions that need to be filled! Becoming a delegate is an easy and important way to get involved with the Republican Party. To become a precinct delegate, you need to attend our 8:30 AM precinct meeting on March 1 and have at least 1 person from our precinct in attendance to vote for you. Precinct delegates will then be able to vote for district and state delegates at the county convention.

Blueprint for Victory Campaign School

Event details:
Saturday, February 23, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (with a lunch break)
Simpson Hall, AB-Tech
FREE for WNC conservatives
Conducted by the Civitas Institute

This training includes all the elements that a successful campaign needs: practical, hands-on training in campaign planning, fundraising, and media.

The Blueprint for Victory Campaign School is not like any other campaign school - anywhere. It will not consist of boring lecture, after boring lecture on the same old campaign curriculum. The Civitas school is designed to provide conservatives with the practical knowledge and experience to be a winning candidate.

This school will be taught by seasoned campaign professionals, who have experience in helping candidates win. It is a great opportunity for conservative candidates, campaign volunteers, campaign managers, and campaign staff.

Please contact Betty Budd if you are interested in attending.

Lincoln-Reagan Day Fundraiser Dinner

Event Details:
Saturday, February 23
Reception at 5PM
Dinner at 6PM
Asheville Ballroom, in the Iwanna Building on Sweeten Creek Road

Senator Elizabeth Dole and three-time LeMans winner Roland Linder will be the featured speakers.

Cost:
$50 per person for dinner
$250 for a sponsor (includes two reception tickets and two dinner tickets)
$500 for a patron (includes four reception tickets and four dinner tickets)
$550 for a table sponsor (includes two reception tickets and eight dinner tickets.

To RSVP, send your checks to BCGOP, PO Box 7363, Asheville, NC 28802. To pay with a credit card, click on the "Click and Pledge" icon in the left-hand menu on the Buncombe County GOP website.

11th Congressional District Republican Debate

Event details:
Thursday, February 21, at 7PM
YMI Cultural Center
39 S. Market St. in downtown Asheville

The 11th Congressional District Republican Debate will offer a unique opportunity to hear from all 3 Republican candidates for Congress. The candidates participating include (with information taken from their websites):

• John Armor has met and worked with hundreds of state legislators from around the country. His work has ranged from unskilled labor, to advertising and public relations, to the practice of law, to writing books and articles. He has authored or co-authored 6 books, which include The Six O’Clock Man, Introduction to the facsimile reprint of Robert Yates’ Secret Proceedings and Debates of the Convention to Form the US Constitution, Why Term Limits?, Manzanar, The Mural Project, and to Restore Trust in America.


• Spence Campbell enjoyed a distinguished career in the Military Intelligence Branch of the Army from 1967 until 1992, including two combat tours in Vietnam and service at the Office of the J2, U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. From 1997 until 2004, Spence served as President of Ewbank & Ewbank Insurance and Real Estate in Hendersonville.


• Carl Mumpower has served as a two term conservative voice and former Vice-Mayor on Asheville city council. Mumpower upholds a private psychology practice in Asheville and serves on various boards and commissions devoted to drug interventions, improving public housing, honoring veter! ans, and meeting the needs of children.

Welcome to Precinct 15!

Hello Republican neighbors!

I am your new Precinct Chairman for Asheville precinct 15 (technically 15.1). This blog will serve as a way to keep our precinct informed about interesting events, upcoming elections, or ways you can get involved. You can also leave questions or suggestions for me in the comments section.

I am excited to be doing my small part for the Republican party here in West Asheville and hope to meet all of my precinct members as time goes by!