RI Republican Assembly Meeting | January 12

Posted on December 22, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

This is a reminder that Rhode Island’s largest Conservative organization, the RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY, will hold its next meeting on Thursday, January 12th, 2012.

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.

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Filed Under: Coming Events, Meetings and RIRA Closed

Mark Zaccaria is the new RIGOP Chair

Posted on December 21, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

A special election was held tonight to choose a new leader for the Rhode Island Republican Party.

After the first round of balloting, the results were:

Mark Zaccaria – 82 (46.33%)
Raymond McKay – 59 (33.33%)
Tina McKendall – 36 (20.33%)

A total of 177 votes were cast by the Delegates present.

No candidate received a simple majority after the first round of balloting (a majority in this case would have been 89 of 177).

Prior to a possible second round of balloting, RIRA President Raymond McKay withdrew his name from consideration and endorsed Mark Zaccaria.

Several minutes later, Tina McKendall also withdrew from the race and endorsed Mark Zaccaria.

Being one candidate left on the ballot, Mark was then elected by acclamation as the new RIGOP Chairman.

Mark then delivered his acceptance speech and was congratulated by all with a standing ovation.

As the meeting adjourned several hours earlier than most expected, many went to the adjoining bar to wind-down.

Congratulations, to our new RIGOP Chairman Mark Zaccaria!

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Filed Under: 2011 Elections and Republican Party Closed

A Personal Letter from RIRA President Raymond T. McKay

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Raymond McKay

RIGOP Nominations Committee endorses RIRA’s President McKay for Chairman

Dear fellow RIGOP Delegates and the RIRA membership:

My friends, I am writing to you as a Party friend and loyalist with the deepest appreciation and respect for the consideration, time, and effort put forth by the RIGOP Nominations Committee for their Official Endorsement of my candidacy to be the next Chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party. I am truly honored by your confidence in me, and my vision to build-up the RIGOP. I am ready for this challenge.

As you know, the Special Election to choose the next Chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party will be held this Wednesday, December 21, 2012 at the RI Shriners at 1 Rhodes Place, Cranston, RI. The election will be held in the very same room where we just held the very successful and enjoyable 7th Annual RIRA Christmas Dinner Party on Saturday night. The special election meeting on Wednesday is scheduled to begin promptly at 7:00 P.M., so please arrive early for the credentialing process. There is also a cash bar and dinner menu at the RI Shriners, which you are encouraged to enjoy.

Let me state a few things, to clear up any possible confusion or misperceptions. As I have said many times, it is the grassroots of politics that will help move this Party forward. That means, a leader must lead, but also listen and hear from those whom he would ask to follow him. It was made very clear to me during the RIGOP Nominations Committee process that it would be impractical for me to lead two similar, but obviously different Republican organizations, and to do both well simultaneously.

Let me say this for the record and so there is no misunderstanding: If I am so fortunate as to be elected Chairman of the RIGOP on Wednesday evening, I will submit my resignation as President of the Rhode Island Republican Assembly.

With that said, please know that I am absolutely determined that I will not do to RIRA, what the prior Chair of the RIGOP unintentionally did to the RIGOP by leaving his position so abruptly. The RIRA Board of Directors, as well as myself, have already planned for a very smooth transition to new leadership once I am elected as the new Republican Party Chairman. That being said, RIRA Bylaws are somewhat more complex than those of the RIGOP.

  • First, the RIRA Board of Directors must meet to approve my written request to resign. I know this will not be an issue.
  • Second, unlike the RIGOP, my leaving the helm of RIRA does not necessitate holding a “special election” to determine my replacement. RIRA already has very clear leadership transition procedures in place.
  • Third, as the RIRA Board of Directors already has a regularly scheduled meeting planned for January 7, 2012, and being that we are right in the middle of the Christmas season already, I believe that staying with that previously announced meeting schedule would be best for all of us to be able to enjoy a stress-free, enjoyable, and politics-free Christmastime.

I realize that after over 6 years as the RIRA President, this change will not be easy for some RIRA members to absorb at first. However, it has often been said that “the only constant in life is change.” I want to change the RIGOP and make it something that we can all be proud to belong to. That is my mission, and I know that it is RIRA’s as well. Although I will no longer be the public face or spokesman of RIRA, I will still remain active within the organization. Those RIRA members who may be concerned that their grassroots Republican organization which was built up over a period of 10-plus years will fall apart at the seams without me at the helm, need not worry. RIRA is much bigger than one person. As I’ve often said: “This is not about me.” This is about all of us.

If I am so fortunate as to be elected as your next RIGOP Chairman on Wednesday, I am ready, willing, and able to take on this new challenge — and it will be a challenge. Together, we will create a viable, identifiable, and competently-run Republican Party organization in this “bluest of blue states” which we can all be proud of.

As my role model, President Ronald Reagan often said, “Our best days are yet to come.”

The hard work ahead of us will yield the fruits of change that we, and this State, so desperately yearn for, and rightfully deserve.

Thank you so much for your time, and I ask for your vote of confidence on Wednesday evening.

Conservatively yours,

Raymond T. McKay

President, RIRA
Candidate for RIGOP Chairman

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Filed Under: 2011 Elections, Republican Party and RIRA Closed

RI Republican Party Special Election Meeting | Wednesday

Posted on December 20, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

This is a reminder that the special election meeting to choose the next Chair of the Rhode Island Republican Party will be held this Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at 7:00 P.M.

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.

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Filed Under: 2011 Elections, Meetings and Republican Party Closed

Rules for the Special Election of RIGOP Chairman

Posted on December 19, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

The following rules and procedures governing the election of Chairman of the Rhode Island Republican State Central Committee (“RIGOP”) were approved on December 7th, 2011 by the RIGOP Executive Committee.

On December 21, 20011 there will be a special election for Chairman. All candidates for Chairman shall be responsible for submitting a letter to the RIGOP expressing his or her intent to seek the office of Chairman. This letter must include accurate contact information (phone and email) for the Nominating Committee Chairperson. An electronic submission of this letter must be sent to and received by contact [at] rigop [dot] org no later than 7:00 pm on December 11, 2011. If the candidate cannot make an electronic submission of his letter, the candidate must submit a written letter to the RIGOP at 1800 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886. A written letter must be received by the RIGOP no later than 5:00 pm on December 9, 2011.

Candidates who have properly filed a letter of intent will be contacted by the Nominating Committee Chairperson. The chairperson of the Nominating Committee will set the time and date of Nominating Committee meeting and schedule the time at which candidates for chairman will speak. If a candidate is unable to attend, they may send a representative to attend on their behalf, attend by telephone conference or video conference, or submit information in writing or by electronic media.

When the Acting Chairman opens the floor for nominations for chairman at the December 21, 2011 meeting, the only nominations that will be in order will be those of candidates who submitted a letter expressing their intent to run for chairman by the deadline. There will be only two nominating speeches for each candidate. Each speech is limited to three (3) minutes. Nominating speeches will not be required if the race is uncontested.

Voting will be by secret ballot as is the custom of the RIGOP in any election for an officer position unless the race is uncontested. If the race is uncontested, the chairman will be elected by a voice vote. When a Member receives a ballot, they shall circle the name of the candidate for whom they wish to cast their ballot for the office being voted. The election is won by attaining a majority of the votes eligible to be cast. The majority of votes cast is defined as more than half of the votes cast by persons legally entitled to vote, excluding blanks or abstentions. Abstentions and blank ballots will not be included in determining the number of votes needed to win the election. Prior to the election, each candidate shall designate one (1) Member to serve as that candidate’s representative (“teller”) during the tabulation of votes and this person will be allowed to observe the counting of the ballots during a secret ballot election.

As soon as the results of the balloting are available, the presiding officer shall announce the ballot results starting with the number of votes received by the candidate with the highest number of votes. If there are multiple candidates, and a majority is not attained, there will be additional rounds of voting until an election results in a majority vote. Any speech announcing the withdrawal of a candidate can be made following a vote and before the next vote is taken. The speech must be made in one (1) minute or less by the candidate or an authorized representative of the candidate.

Source: Rhode Island Republican Party

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Filed Under: 2011 Elections and Republican Party Closed

McKay Wins RIGOP Nominations Committee Endorsement

Posted on December 18, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

Raymond T. McKay of Warwick — the President of the Rhode Island Republican Assembly — received the official endorsement this afternoon of the Rhode Island Republican Party’s Nominations Committee to become the next Chair of the Rhode Island Republican Party, over his two rivals Mark Zaccaria and Mariachristina (Tina) McKendall, both of North Kingstown.

The special election to elect a new RIGOP Chair will be held this Wednesday evening.

Source: RIGOP Nominations Commmitee

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Filed Under: Breaking News and Republican Party Closed

Thank you!

Posted on December 18, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

A big thank you to everyone who attended Saturday night’s 7th Annual RIRA Christmas Dinner Party! By all accounts, it was a tremendously successful and enjoyable event.

Congratulations to RI Republican Chair’s Caucus President Mark Smiley for being the recipient of this year’s Ronald W. Reagan Freedom Society Award! It was well deserved.

Thank you to Republican National Committeewoman Carol Mumford and Republican National Committeeman Joseph Trillo, Acting RIGOP Chair Steve Frias, RIGOP and RIRA Treasurer Barbara Holmes, RIGOP Secretary Ryan Neil Lund, U.S. Senate candidate Barry Hinckley, as well as all 3 candidates for RI Republican Party Chair (the election will be on Wednesday) for joining us for a truly great evening!

Photos from Saturday night’s event will be posted shortly.

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Filed Under: Holidays and RIRA Closed

Protected: RIGOP Nominations Committee | Sunday

Posted on December 18, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

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Filed Under: Coming Events, Meetings and Republican Party Closed

RIRA 7th Annual Christmas Dinner Party | Saturday

Posted on December 16, 2011 by The Ocean State Republican

Update: Online registration is still available for those who would like to attend the party, but who have not yet registered. You may pay for your tickets via our website at http://ri-ra.org/christmasparty/ or contact President McKay at president [at] ri-ra [dot] org ASAP to make payment arrangements. We only have a limited number of tickets left, so please act quickly!

The Rhode Island Republican Assembly – our state’s largest conservative organization – cordially invites our fellow R.I. Republicans, friends, and families to attend our SEVENTH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER PARTY, which will be held on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17th, 2011, at the R.I. Shriners – Imperial Room, at One Rhodes Place, in historic Pawtuxet Village, Cranston, RI 02905.

Join us for a “family friendly” evening of fun, food and drink, live music, award presentations, and special guests, at the biggest and best local GOP party this holiday season! Hors d’ Oeuvres and Cocktails will be available from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.; with a great Buffet Dinner beginning at 7:00 P.M., with festivities continuing until at least 10:00 P.M. There will be Live Entertainment, as well as a Cash Bar.

An RSVP is required for dinner. Tickets are only $35.00 per Adult; and only $10.00 for Children 10 & Under! The buffet features Chicken Montello and Baked Stuffed Sole, along with salad, roasted potatoes, a vegetable medley, and chocolate cake. The children’s menu features Chicken Fingers and French Fries. Special dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice.

To REGISTER BY MAIL, please send your ticket request along with your check (payable to “Rhode Island Republican Assembly”) to: RIRA, 19 BAKERS CREEK ROAD, WARWICK, RI 02886. You may also easily and securely REGISTER & PAY ONLINE by Credit Card or E-Check directly through the RIRA web site at http://ri-ra.org/christmasparty/ .

For more information, please contact RIRA President Ray McKay at president [at] ri-ra [dot] org or (401) 487-2514. Your timely RSVP and payment is greatly appreciated.

P.S. Reminder: We are asking that dinner guests bring at least one canned or other non-perishable food item to the Christmas Party, to benefit the Rhode Island Food Bank. A collection bin will be located at the door.

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Filed Under: Holidays and RIRA Closed

RI Redistricting Committee Meeting | Thursday

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Rhode Island Red

David Cicilline’s staff is actively engaged in changing the Congressional District maps to favor him for the 2012 election. According to Channel 12, “Common Cause Rhode Island, and the campaigns of Republicans Doherty and John Loughlin, have seized on the fact the map would move roughly 125,000 people between Cicilline’s and Langevin’s districts when the latest Census required that only about 7,200 be moved.”

No matter which candidate you are supporting for Congressional District 1, the Redistricting Committee appears to be close to recommending “Map E,” that will hurt any Republican challenger to David Cicilline. With this in mind you are urged to attend the next Redistricting Committee meeting which will be held on Thursday night at 6:00pm at the Rhode Island State House in Room 313 to voice your opposition to this proposal. You are also urged to address the Committee and ask that they not recommend a map that will assist David Cicilline with reelection in 2012.

Please come and show your support.

Source: RIGOP

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Filed Under: 2012 Elections, Coming Events, Corruption and Rhode Island Closed