Investigator calls for year disbandment of Sussex Co. GOP
Nearly three months to the date after executive committee members of the Sussex County Republican committee made questionable comments on a local radio show an independent investigator has revealed recommendations for the committee. The most stringent, to disband the committee for a year to allow them “cool-off”.
On October 28, committee Chairman Billy Carroll appointed a non-partisan, independent investigator, retired Navy Rear Admiral Marianne Drew.
Drew reviewed the radio interviews, during which the comments were made, as well as other evidence, including draft minutes of meetings andemails exchanged by committee members.
The recommendations included that the whole committee disband for a year to be given a cooling off period to prevent a potential blow up closer to the 2016 elections.
Drew said in recommendations, “Without taking decisive action now from outside the (Sussex County Republican Committee), I believe that the entire committee operation will blow up publicly much closer to the General Election in 2016 and seriously damage the Republican candidates change for election.”
Drew also found that one of the committee members had made a gender attack and that two of the members be strongly encouraged by the committee to reexamine their comments.
“It’s a strike across the bow that we have to play nice in the sandbox and not the way we’ve been doing it,” said Carroll before the committee met Monday night.
Carroll said a series of special meetings will be held by the advisory committee in December to review the recommendations and decide what action to take.
As for whether he believes they will disband, Carroll said that is unlikely. Since the committee is responsible for handling the registration fee’s of Republican candidates in the county, disbanding for a year would not be possible Carroll said.
Frank Knotts, a former committee member, as well as the blogger who used his site to make the controversial comments public, said the committee should follow the recommendation and disband.
Knotts said that was voted out of the committee two years ago when he began blogging about what he believed to be disarray in the committee.
In short, Knotts believes the committee has been nothing short of dysfunctional in recent years.
“They spend a lot of time talking and talking on air and you know starting controversies and getting themselves into these kind of situations, but this committee has done little in my opinion to actually build the Republican brand and get Republicans elected,” Knotts said.
Knotts added he wants the public to know that the committee does not represent the views of all Sussex County republicans.
Aside from the special advisory committee meetings, the Sussex County Republican Committee as a whole will not meet again until after the start of the new year.
