Davidson County GOP Sets Hearing For Ouster Of Ron Paul Supporter
Posted on November 17, 2009 at 10:31 pm
The Davidson County Republican Party has set a date for the closed-door hearing where its executive committee will decide whether controversial First Vice Chair Matt Collins will be stripped of his official party position.
The executive committee will meet at the Green Hills Hampton Inn at 6 p.m. Nov. 24 to decide Collins’ fate. A party spokeswoman confirms the meeting will be closed both to the public and to the press.
As the Davidson County party has no specific rules regarding the removal of a member, the county party will operate under Rule H of the state party’s bylaws.
The state bylaws list the parties who can conduct a removal hearing. In order of succession, they step down from county party chairman to county party vice chairman to a designate appointed by the state party chairman.
A DCRP spokeswoman tells Post Politics that Chairman Kathleen Starnes has recused herself from presiding over the hearing Tuesday. As Matt Collins is the first vice chair and is the member in question, the state party will choose the person who will preside over the hearing.
TNGOP chairman Chris Devaney told Post Politics in an email that a decision on who will preside over the hearing will be made in the “next couple of days.”
The Tennessee Republican Party, according spokeswoman Kim Ketchel, has been advising the Davidson County party on the process of removing Collins.
“The state party is a resource for anyone seeking interpretation or information regarding the state party’s bylaws,” Ketchel said. “Upon request, we provided the DCRP information about the bylaws and how they pertained to this specific situation.”
In October, the county party executive committee voted 14 to 5 (with two abstentions) to trigger the process of removal. The stated reasons for Collins’ removal were his “unprofessional actions and words” as well as his use of his title when expressing opinions “derogatory to and disrespectful of Republican candidates or elected officials.”
Collins, who is a Ron Paul supporter and a member of various small “L” libertarian groups, has had numerous dustups, both public and private, with the old guard of the party since his election to first vice chair in the spring.
The most notable clash was this summer when he refused to shake the hand of gubernatorial candidate and congressman Zach Wamp at a party picnic because Wamp had supported of one of Washington’s many “bailouts.”
The Davidson County Republican party has 24 members who will be eligible to vote in the special executive session to remove Collins. A two-thirds vote is required for removal.
Missives From The Davidson County GOP Listserve On The Matt Collins Affair
Posted on October 29, 2009 at 6:46 pmOn Tuesday night, the Davidson County GOP moved against one of its more controversial party officials. Wednesday, the story broke. On Thursday, Republican bloggers reacted to the story — but not on their blogs.
Rod Williams today in an email on the party’s listserve:
It wasn’t I who leaked it to the press, but I was afraid this would happen. You can’t keep something like this a secret. Not many people read the Nashville Post, but I expect to see it in the Tennessean soon. It may make the 6 PM news. Did you see the 50+ comments on the Nashville Post website? This is very bad PR. What I wish is that Matt would be contrite and agree to be more circumspect and cooperative in the future and we could say a misunderstanding and an internal dispute was resolved in an amicable manner. We are a very small minority fighting among ourselves. This is not going to grow the party. Maybe, it had to come to this; I don’t know, but I hate it. Is there any room to negotiate? Is there anyway to delay action and see if this can be resolved in a less drastic manner?
Kay Brooks in an email on the party’s listserve responding to Williams:
Precisely, Rod. This news was going to get out PDQ. It’s too juicy a political tidbit to get ignored. I think Lynda acted wisely in having a prepared statement ready so there were facts available and couldn’t be painted has having to scramble to respond to press inquiries. Please notice that AC Kleinheider at the Nashville Post says: “A spokeswoman for DCRP chairwoman Kathleen Starnes would not elaborate on the statement.” So obviously, Lynda didn’t provide Kleinheider with any additional fuel. Kudos to her for her professionalism.
There are now over 100 comments at the Nashville Post and many are very supportive of the DCRP. I suggest we just maintain radio silence for now and let the process go forward. Under the oversight of the State Party evidence against Matt will be presented and Matt will have a chance to make his case in his defense. Personally, I’m not afraid of the scrutiny. Yes, it’s messy and embarrassing but I think we can recover and move on and be stronger. It’s not like the Dems have never had their issues. The Republican’s I’ve spoken to since the event has become public have not been unhappy at the motion.
Re: Negotiating: Rod, I have made several suggestions to Matt but it’s my understanding that he will not compromise. Without his willingness to move I don’t see how we can work this out.
And just for exactness the statement was originally uploaded to the website about 5:20 am Wednesday morning during my routine on-line time. There is no RSS feed to alert folks that the website had been changed. Nothing was posted to Facebook or Twitter which do feed automatically. It wasn’t uploaded to the clearly marked ‘press release’ section but placed blandly, without headline. And I didn’t give Kleinheider the heads up either.
UPDATE: Rod Williams reacts:
Let this be a lesson. Don’t post anything on a listserv that you do not want to see published in the newspaper. Actually there is nothing to be embarrassed about in these exchanges. Actually, I am surprised that the Post found these email exchanges newsworthy.
I do, however, feel that a trust was violated and that someone forwarded what we thought were private conversations to the press.
Campaign For Liberty Calls For Push Back On The Davidson County GOP
Posted on at 8:58 amThe national organization formed by Ron Paul essentially continuing his campaign to bring the Old Right back into the GOP has spoken out on the movement to oust one of its members from the Davidson County Party.
Recent developments in the Nashville Republican Party has led to one of our very own being threatned with permanent expulsion from his elected position as the DCRP 1st Vice Chair. This breaking news has led the CFL to release an important message with regards to further action against Matt Collins.
We humbly submit to the state party officals and DCRP officers, please err on the side of principles before party politics. Please dont remove an elected officer for being outspoken about Constitutional accountability. Matt is a fervent patriot, a real Sam Adams of our time, and defends the principled politics that has long been lost in our society. We will not support any type of affiliation that promotes big government or economically irresposibile candidates.
The Nashville DCRP has promoted time and time again big government candidates. John McCain, case and point. We have finally won an electable office within the DCRP that can help promote and defend OUR American way of life, and the DCRP feels threatened.
Davidson County GOP Moves To Oust Ron Paul-Supporting Vice Chair
Posted on October 28, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Collins (right) with Judge Andrew Napolitano
The Davidson County Republican Party took its first steps Tuesday night toward ousting its controversial First Vice Chairman Matt Collins. The party Executive Committee voted 14 to 5 (with two abstentions) to ‘trigger’ the process of removal. A hearing will be scheduled where a required two-thirds majority vote could be taken to remove Collins.
In a statement released on the party’s website Wednesday, the party stated that the reason for the motion to remove were Collins’ “unprofessional actions and words” as well as his use of his title when expressing opinions “derogatory to and disrespectful of Republican candidates or elected officials.” A spokeswoman for DCRP chairwoman Kathleen Starnes would not elaborate on the statement.
Collins has had a tumultuous relationship with the party stemming from his associations with small “L” libertarian groups and the Ron Paul for President campaign. Collins was elected First Vice Chair of the party on April 4 of this year after losing a bid to become chairman of the party in a process that included a deadlocked March 7 election and a subsequent revote.
The vice chair again became the center of controversy this summer when, after attending the Davidson County party’s annual picnic, he announced in a blog post that he had refused to shake Rep. Zach Wamp’s hand because of his support of the financial bailouts. In the same post, he concluded that neither Wamp nor Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam were qualified to be governor.
Collins also clashed with the party’s old guard when he issued a public chastisement of Chairwoman Starnes for calling for a meeting with Congressman Jim Cooper without the prior consent of other party officers.
Starnes herself raised eyebrows when she both endorsed and solicited funds for a conservative independent candidate currently running for congress against a Republican nominee in New York state’s 23rd District, an action which will no doubt be cited by Collins supporters in his defense during the as-yet-unscheduled removal hearing.
Collins would not comment on the situation when contacted by Post Politics but said a statement would be forthcoming.
Defeated Ron Paul Republican Candidate For DCRP Chair: ‘I Didn’t Want The Job Anyway’
Posted on April 5, 2009 at 5:14 pmMatt Collins, a Ron Paul Republican who tied the establishment candidate a month ago for the position Davidson County Party Chair, says he didn’t see the establishment coming for him during round two until it was too late. Oh, and he didn’t really want the job anyway:
My opponent really turned out the vote and I had a few delegates that were unable to appear. Combined with the fact that many of the delegates who were on the fence were being fed disinformation, it caused my opponent to win. The election was fair but the hit campaign against me was not and I did not realize what was happening until later in the week which did not allow enough time for me to communicate the truth to the delegates. I am not vindictive or bitter about it but I have learned there are specific individuals within the Davidson County Republican Party that I can not trust and will not associate with. And honestly I didn’t want the job anyway, I was running for the chair out of a sense of duty to fix the country by fixing the Republican Party. I can still work to achieve that goal from the position of Vice Chair and I am actually quite satisfied with the results.
Revolution Deferred: Starnes Takes DCRP Chairman’s Race
Posted on April 4, 2009 at 7:05 pmRon Paul supporter Matt Collins was defeated by Kathleen Starnes in his bid for Davidson County Republican Party Chairman by a thirty vote margin this morning at Hillsboro High School. The vote was rematch of the March 7th election for chair that had ended in deadlock. The following is a press release sent out in behalf of the victor:
Kathleen Starnes was elected Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party (DCRP), Saturday, April 4, during the DCRP Convention at Hillsboro Hill School, Nashville, TN. Prior to her election, she had served as 1st Vice Chairman since 2007.
Starnes plans to energize the County’s party by expanding and strengthening its base through outreach and involvement. One of her first priorities will be to meet with area directors to outline a strategy to achieve this goal.
“My vision is to expand the grassroots of our party where in Davidson County there is only one Republican out of ten House of Representative seats and one Republican out of four Senate Seats. We have a wonderful opportunity to grow those numbers.
“Also, I am committed to represent all Davidson County Republicans. We are not just a Green Hills party — we need to reach out and involve our friends who live in Hermitage, Old Hickory, Antioch and other surrounding areas.”
In addition to outreach and garnering active participation, she wants to enhance the DCRP website with blogs, up-to-date information and links to every Republican senator or representative in the State. “We must do a better job of leveraging technology to stay connected, communicate and provide resources.”
Starnes is a member of the Nashville Republican Women and is their treasurer. She is a Governor appointee to the Tennessee Council for Interstate Adults Offender Supervision, a charter member of You Have the Power and The Green Hills Action Partners and a board member of Women in Numbers (WIN). Also, she has served on the Boards of the American Red Cross, Bethlehem Centers of Nashville, Watkins Institute of Design, Dress for Success and Metro General Hospital. She and her husband Larry are native Nashvillians.
In addition to Starne’s election the following slate of officers was elected:
1st Vice Chairman Matt Collins
2nd Vice Chairman Daniel Davis
Recording Secretary Barbara Oonk
Treasurer Jason Keen
Vice Treasurer E.V. King
At-Large Directors:
Jon Crisp
Michael Berry Donegan
Diane Di Stasio
Anthony Roberts
Jason Rutledge
Regional Vice Chairs
Kay Brooks, Region I
Dewey Cooksey, Region II
Bo Schwartz, Region III
UPDATE: The defeated shares his view.
A Revolution In The Davidson County GOP?
Posted on March 6, 2009 at 7:02 pmA Ron Paul supporter is a candidate to become chairman of the DCGOP tomorrow and the outgoing chair doesn’t seem to mind that he could possibly win:
Outgoing Davidson County GOP chairman Tom Lawless told Examiner.com he won’t officially endorse a favorite in the race to succeed him. But Lawless said he’s long believed expanding the party base to include new voters and new demographics will require new leaders with new visions.
Collins appears to fit the mold, said Lawless.
“The party needs to get younger and it needs to get more inclusive,” said Lawless. “(Starnes) is clearly a status-quo candidate, and she’d be the pick of the older generation that currently has the reins of power. But you’ve got to pass those reins at some point. I recognized very early in Matt the strength of his energies and of his traditional conservative beliefs that go back, not just to the ideas of Ronald Reagan, but to the ideas of the Founding Fathers. Matt has exhibited to me some extremely good leadership qualities in a very, very, short period of time.”
The Davidson County GOP meeting starts tomorrow at 8am at Hillsboro High School.
UPDATE SATURDAY 12:46PM: The election between Starnes-Maxwell and Collins resulted in a tie. The vote will be rescheduled this week.
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