Conservative Groups to feature Kip Dodson of Fair Tax Tennessee, Dan Davis on our education ranking, and candidates for Metro Council.

From Tony Roberts, Organizer of Conservative Groups:

Our meeting has moved back to Logan’s steak house on Elliston place. The meeting will be held Thursday may 28, 2015 from 5:30 - 7:15.

Thursday, May 28 we will hear a viable plan on how we could live to see the IRS abolished in our life time. Kip Dodson of Fair Tax Tennessee will be showing us how this can happen. He is a man with proven business success and is applying his business talents to bring justice to taxpayers.

We will also hear from Dan Davis about the facts on our high rating schools in the Davidson County area in comparison with the state and the nation.

We will follow with candidates running for Metro office. Some leaders of groups who will be supporting council races will be in attendance. The City Council helps to set the pace of monetary expenditures for Davidson County. We are in a spending path similar to Washington, D.C. and if we do not pay attention to our council, we like many cities in California will go down the path of bankruptcy. Come and listen to our council candidates and help to vet the future of Davidson County.

Networking will start at 5:30 and the program starts at 6:00.

Kip Dodson bio:

Kip's main focus throughout his career has been strategic planning, ideal business operations, and solving business, sales, marketing and advertising problems. Based on a 22 year career at Rockwell automation where he out-performed his duties for multiple fortune 500 firms, he established himself as a unique leader.   He later became an entrepreneur building uniquely strong businesses. (Dodson.com), a management consulting firm, source local media (sourceless.com), an advertising, marketing and media solutions firms, and Williamson.com, an emerging digital and media firm that accelerates marketing results better than the rest. Together these firms accelerate assets to their "highest and best potential."

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Correction: Mark Winslow survives challenge. Will remain on ballot as TNGOP Executive Committee candidate

This is a corrected version of this report. Previously, I had stated that the Democrat candidate being supported by Mark Winslow did not have a Republican opponent in that race. In fact, she does. Rod

In addition to Matt Collins who failed to survive a challenge to his candidacy to run for a seat on the Tennessee Republican Party's executive committee, there were 20 other Republicans who were challenged, most of them for seats on the Executive Committee but some for other positions. Among those challenged were Mark Winslow and Karen Bennett. Both Winslow and Bennett are current members of the Executive Committee representing district 19.

Tony Roberts

Both Winslow and Bennett were challenged for supporting Melissa Blackburn, a Democrat running for General Session Judge, Division II. Blackburn has three Democrat opponents. The Democrat candidate will be selected in the Democratic Primary of May 6th and will face the Republican candidate in the August election.  The Republican seeking that seat is Marian Fordyce.

The challenges to Winslow and Bennett were brought by Tony Roberts and Melissa Gay. Tony Roberts is the Second Vice Chair of the Davidson County Republican Party. He is also one of founders of  Conservative  Groups of Middle Tennessee, an organization designed to bring together right-of-center activist, Republicans, and Libertarians for mutual cooperation and networking. Tony also is chair of GOP Minority Coalition of Tennessee, which does outreach to minority groups and immigrants.

I caught up with Tony at an event last week and asked him about his challenge of the candidacy of Winslow and Bennett. He told me that the party bylaws say a member of the Executive Committee cannot endorse a Democrat and he says if they do, he does not think they should be allowed to hold a seat on the Executive Committee.

I think it inappropriate for a member of the Executive Committee to be endorsing a Democrat in a Democrat primary even if there is no Republican running for that seat.  To vote for the candidate they endorse, one would have to vote in the Democrat primary. You do not build the Republican Party if Republicans vote in the Democrat Primary.  In this case it is even worse however, because there is a Republican candidate for that seat.  Marian Fordyce is running as a Republican and will be on the ballot unopposed on May 6, and will then face the Democrat who wins the Democrat primary in August.

It is my understanding the Mellisa Blackburn is the wife of one the attorneys who represented Mark Winslow in his legal action against Chuck Fleishman and the State Republican Party. Also, if what I have been told his correct, Mark Winslow is not simply supporting someone who happens to be a Democrat out of friendship, but has a paid position in her campaign. This is an outrage and should not be tolerated.

TNGOP Chairman Chris Devaney's explanation of why Winslow and Bennett were not removed is that he ran out of time to do so. While admitting they violated party bylaws, he said he was not comfortable making the decision himself, which the rules says is his responsibility.  Rather than making that decision alone he wanted the input of the Executive Committee and he says there was not time to convene the committee. This is lame. By not removing them, he made the decision not to remove them. The decision was his and there is no evading that he made a decision. If the Chairman should not have that authority to remove or not remove a person from the ballot, then the procedure needs to be changed. Until it is changed, by not removing someone who is challenged, the Chairman is making a decision to keep them on the ballot.

Mark Winslow

Mark Winslow has long been active in Republican Party politics. He was the former Chief of Staff of the Tennessee Republican Party.  When Chris Devaney took over as Chair of the Party, he wanted to select his own chief of staff and he terminated Winslow and awarded him severance pay of $12,504. This latter became an issue in a campaign between Robin Smith and Chuck Fleishman who were primary opponents seeking the 3rd congressional seat nomination. Fleishman used this payment of Winslow's severance as an attack on Smith's management of the Party. This ended up with Winslow suing the state party. To read more about this issue go here, here, and here.

Each district must have a male and female member on the Executive Committee of the Party.  Karen Bennett is the female representing the same district as Mark Winslow. Karen Bennett is also a member of the Metro Council.

Karen Bennett

The number of challenges this year to people seeking a spot on the ballot to run for a seat on the Executive Committee is underrepresented. Some election cycles there are no challenges.  The number of challenges and who were being challenged went national. Scottie Huges, the news director and chief journalist for the Tea Party News Network wrote about it and reported it as a fight between establishment republicans and the Tea Party. (link)

I cannot find a statement as to the result of the 21 challenges. One could compare the list of those who were challenged to those who are on the ballot but even it a name was on the first list and not the second list, one would not know if the person was ousted or voluntarily withdrew.  Other than Matt Collins, I do not know who was removed.


Here is the Tennessean's coverage of the issue: As GOP dominates, ballot challenges get weird.

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Robert Duvall elected Chair of GOP Nashville

At the Davidson County Republican Party convention today, Councilman Robert Duvall (left) was elected Party Chairman. Stacy Ries Synder (enter) was elected First Vice-Chair and Tony Roberts (right) was reelected to position of Second Vice-Chair. (photo by Randy Foster)

The county party also elected the following officers and regional vice chairs:

1st Vice Chair — Stacy Ries Snyder

2nd Vice Chair — Tony Roberts

Communications Secretary — Tonya Miller

Recording Secretary — Kathy Langan


Treasurer — Chuck Nabb

Vice Treasurer  — Sabrina Orr

Regional vice Chairs

North — George Rand

North Central — Kay Brooks

South — John Bulla

East — Bruce Patterson

Southeast— Pat Carl

South Central — Diane Ries

West — Lonnie Spivak

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Tony Roberts seeks reelection as 2nd Vice Chair of the Davidson County Republican Party

Tony Roberts

Tony Roberts of Nashville has announced his candidacy for reelection to the position of 2nd Vice Chair of the Davidson County Republican Party.  Tony is a single father of two daughters and a realtor specializing in residential and commercial real estate.

He is a leader and one of the founders of the Conservative Groups of Middle Tennessee. He is presently the chair of the newly founded GOP Minority Coalition of Tennessee. He has also worked as an officer of elections for the past 12 years for the Davidson County Election Commission in representing the Republican Party. He has held fundraisers for local candidates for city council and for state house races. He also has worked walking door-to-door for candidates and worked the phone banks.

Tony has worked with many conservative groups including the College Republicans and Young Republicans. He was a past vice chair of the Davidson County Republican Assembly. He is a member of the Latino Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, West Wilson Chamber of Commerce, West Wilson Rotary Club, involved with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, vice president of the board of directors for the Wilson County Arts Alliance, member of the Tea Party, member of the Tennessee Republican Assembly, member of the Center Right Coalition, member of Eagle Forum, member of the Standard Club of Nashville, and a member of the City Club of Nashville. He is a member of the Cathedral of Incarnation of Nashville where he serves as an usher. His education includes a BA from the University of Tennessee, a BS and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Tony wants to organize the Party from the precinct level up and for the Party to be inclusive of all Republicans.  Opening up the doors of participation are the tools to grow the party, he says. “How does one know who we are as conservatives and Republicans without the knowledge of what we believe and how we plan to achieve our goals. We as Republicans too often stand on the sidelines as cheerleaders hoping our philosophies will be heard. We are in an economic and a constitutional war with present leaders infringing on our rights as free citizens. I have been in the trenches for years and feel that we must take our positions and make a stand or this nation will fall by the wayside as so many nations have fallen in the past."

The goals for 2014 must be strategically formulated in the year 2013, says Tony. "We must participate in the building of grassroots participation and the vetting of true candidates for the cause. They must be trained in the execution of our beliefs and not waver."

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Report from the Tennessee Republican Assembly Convention

I just now received this report from someone who attended the convention of the Glen Hughes and Sharron Ford wing of the Republican Party that goes by the name of Tennessee Republican Assembly. (Well, not a wing of the party; more like a feather of the Party) This communication is from someone who prefers to remain anonymous and was speaking frankly. The characterizations in this communication are those of the anonymous reporter and not mine.  I was hesitant to post this because I do not think it contributes to Party unity. However, Glen Hughes calling everyone who does not march in lockstep with his views, a RINO does not contribute to Party unity either.

There were about 200 "Paulistinians," who showed up just to vote for the Ron Paul.  I estimate about 75 TRA, and an additional 50 who showed up to be seen (Marsha Blackburn included).  Why are people like Tootie, Nathan James, Duane Dominy, and William Morgan lured to this type of meeting?  Beats me.  Overall, yawn.  Speakers were boring and Angle has nothing of interest to add.  No wonder Reid beat her like a drum.  She was hawking her book, yawn again.  The Paulistinians were the most interesting.  If you think Glenn Beck is out there, then just talk to these folks.  The Lunatic Fringe calls them the Lunatic Fringe.

I used to belong to TRA and at some point just stopped paying my dues and attending meetings. I mainly stopped because I was, at the time, coordinating the Davidson County Republican Party "Egg and Bacon" summits which were weekly Saturday morning breakfast groups. At one time we had six of these groups and every Saturday of the month was taken attending these and TRA's meetings were also on Saturday mornings. I could not attend both.

When I was attending TRA, I did not feel out of place or unwelcome. I enjoyed the speakers and the good conversation and camaraderie. A couple years ago, I attended their annual convention myself.  Since then however, Glen Hughes and Sharron Ford have taken over TRA and somehow decided that I am really not a Republican but a RINO (Republican in Name Only).   I don't think I would feel comfortable attending the TRA convention. Also, when I was attending, they did not seem so fringe. They seemed pretty mainstream Republican. Even when I was active in TRA however, I was never sure why we needed the organization.

TRA calls itself the "conservative wing of the Republican Party."  Officially of course, TRA is Republican only by self identification and has no official association with the Republican Party. They state as their mission, "to work to recruit committed conservative activists to become involved in the Republican Party, earning and taking leadership positions within it and displacing RINOs ("Republicans in Name Only") who do not reflect the overwhelming majority position of Republicans across America."

Started in California in 1932, the first Republican Assembly worked to take back the California Republican Party from a liberal elitist faction that controlled the Party at that time. By 1964 the California GOP was in the hands of Goldwater Republicans. The California GOP has been in conservative hands since then.  In 1996, The Republican Assembly became a national organization.

Why is TRA necessary? There are no more Rockefeller Republicans. As far as I can tell, the Republican Party nationally, and certainly in Tennessee, is a fairly conservative party. I am not familiar with the Party in each state and maybe in some states there are Republican Parties that are controlled by liberals but not in Tennessee. Certainly there are disagreements and various factions within the Party and there are some people who care more about some issues than other issues and people who identify more with one candidate than another candidate, but I just do not see a big ideological divide in the Tennessee Republican Party.

Our own Davidson County Republican Party has as it's chairman Kathleen Starnes. Does anyone think Kathleen Starnes is a liberal?  We have on the Executive Committee people like Ken Merraro who blogs as The Blue Collar Muse and who is a TEA party activist,  Lonnie Spivak who ran for the 5th Congressional District Republican nomination and who is a leader of a conservative organization, Dan Davis and Tony Roberts organizers of Conservative Groups, David Hall who was the Party's 2010 5th Congressional District candidate,  Dave Patterson who ran on the Party ticket for a State House seat, and Brent Pierce who leads a chapter of the Ron Paul affiliated Campaign for Liberty. If you know any of these people, or became familiar with them when they were running for office, do you think they are liberals? Are they RINO's?

Who is the TRA trying to take the party from?  If they think the Davidson County GOP is liberal, what would a TRA dominated party look like?

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