The RIRA monthly meeting will be held in the lower-level of Tri-City Elk’s Lodge No. 14, at 1915 West Shore Road, in Warwick. For those wishing to eat before the RIRA meeting begins, dinner is available between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. The cost for dinner is about $8.00 per person. There is also a Cash Bar available. The RIRA business meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:00PM.

The RIRA is the Rhode Island affiliate of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, a thoughtful national organization of GOP conservatives working to grow and strengthen the Republican Party in the tradition of President Ronald Reagan. This is a dinner meeting, and if you want to eat, you pay for your own meal. Any like-minded conservative Republican is welcome to attend. Regular attendees are encouraged to inquire about membership.

For more information, please contact RIRA President Raymond McKay at (401) 487-2514 or president [at] ri-ra [dot] org. Thank you.

You have read recently that all but 2 of the Republican Presidential candidates failed to even get on the ballot for Virginia’s Primary, due to that state’s ridiculously restrictive ballot access laws. But Rhode Island’s laws are even WORSE than Virginia’s. We could be looking at NONE of the candidates getting on R.I.’s ballot, thanks to major changes in the R.I. law, passed in 2011 and taking effect in 2012.

But we are taking steps to make sure that this embarrassment does not happen here. We are in charge of getting all the GOP candidates on the April 24 R.I. Primary ballot. We are organizing a team effort, to make sure R.I. Republican voters are able to choose from ALL 7 of the Presidential candidates.

First, a brief explanation of why this is so difficult in R.I. We have just 2 weeks to get 1,000 valid signatures for these candidates, from January 19 to February 2. (This is down from the 5 weeks we had previously, in warmer weather). Also, in normal states, signatures are turned in to one central location. In R.I., signatures must be turned in to the City or Town Hall where the signer resides. (So, for instance, if you are a Providence voter, and sign a paper that is turned in to Pawtucket, your signature would be disqualified.). This makes it impractical to gather signatures at shopping centers or at athletic events, where people come from numerous different communities.

The only thing about R.I. law that makes things easier, is that one person can sign papers for ALL of the candidates (not just for the one that they support). We are asking people to sign every paper, so that ALL the candidates get on; rather than NONE of them, if we each go our separate ways.

So here is what YOU can do.

* SIGNATURE PARTIES
We are organizing events in most of the 39 Cities & Towns, where residents can come and sign all the papers. The GOP City & Town Chairmen’s Caucus (President Mark Smiley from Warren) is working with the 39 local GOP Committees, to set these up.
We will notify you, via E-Mail, about the time & place for the Signature Party in your own community. (THE SCHEDULE FOR ALL COMMUNITIES IS LISTED BELOW). We ask you to take the time to go to the event in your Town, and sign all the papers.
These Signature Parties will also be social events, where you get to meet and greet the GOP leaders in your Town (and maybe get more involved with your local GOP organization).

* GET SIGNATURES YOURSELF
If you would be willing to get signatures on all the papers from 10 or more of your friends and neighbors, just REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL (DaveTalan [at] aol [dot] com), and we will deliver the papers to you on January 19 (together with instructions on how to handle them).
We will help you get all the papers properly notarized, and turn them in for you.
(Note: If you replied a week ago, to your monthly R.I. GOP Update, and it bounced back to you, then reply again. That Update had a space mistakenly included in the return address, which caused some replies to be rejected.)

SO HERE IS THE CURRENT SCHEDULE OF SIGNATURE PARTIES !!
(In a few days, we will send you an updated schedule, once we hear from more communities. We will also send you an E-Mail with more details about the Signature Party in your own particular City or Town.)

RHODE ISLAND GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SIGNATURE PARTIES

Thursday January 19 – CUMBERLAND monthly meeting – 6:00 to 7:30 P.M.
at Public Library (Hayden Center room #1), 1464 Diamond Hill Rd.

Thursday January 19 – WARWICK monthly meeting – 7:00 P.M.
at Avedisian headquarters, 1800 Post Rd. (Airport Plaza; below and left of Staples)

Thursday January 19 – CHARLESTOWN, RICHMOND, HOPKINTON & EXETER
Meet & Greet – 7:00 P.M. – at Boucher’s Wood River Inn, Rt. 138 & Rt. 3 in Richmond (1139 Main St. in Wyoming)

Thursday January 19 – JOHNSTON Tea Party monthly meeting – 7:00 P.M.
at Ribs & Co. restaurant, 1383 Atwood Ave.

Saturday January 21 – EAST GREENWICH hosting monthly South County breakfast
8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. – at Pal’s Restaurant, 43 Division St. (down the hill from Varnum Armory). Breakfast (10 Towns) from 8:00 to 9:30; East Greenwich remains until 11:00

Saturday January 21 – PAWTUCKET breakfast & straw poll – 9:00 A.M. to noon
at Comfort Inn, 2 George St. CENTRAL FALLS also invited.

Saturday January 21 – NORTH KINGSTOWN candidate school (but can come just to sign papers) – 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. – at Sonoma Pub, 7366 Post Rd. (corner of Camp St.)

Saturday January 21 – WARREN, BRISTOL, BARRINGTON straw poll party – 6:00 P.M. until South Carolina primary results come in – at Perella’s Ristorante, 311 Metacom Ave. in Warren

Sunday January 22 – LINCOLN monthly meeting – 7:00 P.M. -
at new Senior Center, 150 Jenckes Hill Rd.

Monday January 23 – LITTLE COMPTON – 5:00 to 7:00 P.M.
at the Brownell House (Village Improvement Society) on the Commons (44 Commons)

Monday January 23 – SMITHFIELD straw poll – 6:00 to 9:00 P.M.
at Ronzio’s Pizza, 9 Cedar Swamp Rd. (Rt. 5), behind McDonald’s in Apple Valley Mall (Rt. 44). NORTH SMITHFIELD & GLOCESTER invited if they do not have their own event.

Monday January 23 – FOSTER monthly meeting – 7:00 P.M.
at the Benjamin Eddy building (next to Town Hall), 6 South Killingly Rd.

Tuesday January 24 – PROVIDENCE – 6:30 to 8:00 P.M. – at the Holy Rosary Band Society Hall, 157 Gano St. (off exit 3 to Rt. 195; between Red Cross Hdqtrs. & Pitman St.)

Tuesday January 24 – SOUTH KINGSTOWN, NARRAGANSETT – 7:00 P.M.
at Casey’s Grill & Bar, 191 Old Tower Hill Rd. in Wakefield (just off Rt. 1)

Tuesday January 24 – SCITUATE (Northwest Tea Party monthly meeting) – 6:00 to 7:45 P.M. – at North Scituate Public Library, 606 W. Greenville Rd.
5 neighboring communities also invited (Burrillville, Foster, Glocester, Smithfield, North Smithfield.)

Tuesday January 24 – WARWICK (Freedom Is Fundamental Book Club) – 6:30 to 8:30 P.M.
- at Warwick Public Library, 600 Sandy Lane (room 101)

Wednesday January 25 – BARRINGTON monthly meeting – 7:30 P.M. -
at Town Hall, in Council chambers (283 County Rd.)

Friday January 27 – WEST WARWICK (also COVENTRY) – time & location TBA

Friday January 27 – MIDDLETOWN – time & location TBA

Saturday January 28 – NORTH PROVIDENCE breakfast – 8:00 to 11:00 A.M.
at Lymansville Memorial VFW Post 10011, 354 Fruit Hill Ave.

Saturday January 28 – JAMESTOWN – time & locations TBA

Saturday January 28 – NEWPORT – time & location TBA

Tuesday January 31 – JOHNSTON – 6:30 P.M. to until the crowd dies down
at the home of George & Kathy Resnick, 10 Paradise Lane

Tuesday January 31 – EAST PROVIDENCE Florida Primary straw poll – 7:00 to 10:00 P.M.
at Santa Maria Cultural Center, 846 Broadway. Neighboring communities also invited.

Wednesday February 1 – TIVERTON – 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. – at the clubhouse of Villages on Mount Hope Bay, 120 Schooner Drive

=========================================================

The following Cities & Towns plan to do a signature party, but date and location still to be determined.

(?) BURRILLVILLE
(?) WEST GREENWICH
WESTERLY
WOONSOCKET
==========================================================
We have not heard yet from the following Cities & Towns.

CRANSTON
GLOCESTER
NEW SHOREHAM
NORTH SMITHFIELD
PORTSMOUTH

The RIRA monthly meeting will be held in the lower-level of Tri-City Elk’s Lodge No. 14, at 1915 West Shore Road, in Warwick. For those wishing to eat before the RIRA meeting commences, dinner is available between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. The cost for dinner is about $8.00 per person. There is also a Cash Bar available. The RIRA business meeting begins at 7:00PM.

Agenda will mainly focus on 2012 membership renewals, the recent RIGOP election, the recent RIRA Christmas Party, and plans for winning in 2012.

The RIRA is the Rhode Island affiliate of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, a thoughtful national organization of GOP conservatives working to grow and strengthen the Republican Party in the tradition of President Ronald Reagan. This is a dinner meeting, and if you want to eat, you pay for your own meal. Any like-minded conservative Republican is welcome to attend.

For more information, please contact RIRA President Raymond McKay at 401-487-2514 or president [at] ri-ra [dot] org.

The special election meeting will be held at the RI Shriners – Imperial Room, at One Rhodes Place, in Cranston, where the prior two RIGOP meetings have been held — and where we just held the RIRA 7th Annual Christmas Dinner Party on Saturday night.

Of course, only credentialed RIGOP Delegates or their Designated Alternates may vote in this special election, but anyone can attend to observe. Any questions concerning the meeting can be referred to the RIGOP office at (401) 732-8282.

The meeting will be held at the RI Shriners, One Rhodes Place, in Cranston, where the prior two RIGOP meetings have been held — and where the upcoming RIRA 7th Annual Christmas Dinner Party will also be held (on Saturday, December 17th… register online at http://ri-ra.org/christmasparty/).

As usual, only RIGOP Delegates or their Designated Alternates may vote in this election, but anyone can attend to observe the fun. Questions concerning the meeting can be referred to the RIGOP office at (401) 732-8282.

Additional dates: The RIGOP Executive Committee will meet on Wednesday, December 7th. The RIGOP Nominations Committee will meet on Sunday, December 18th. Members of those committees will be notified of the meeting times and locations.