Pay no Attention to Those Spewing FEAR!!

A week or so ago I posted a blog talking about civility and keeping things positive, yet here I am again. As much as I continue in leading the county party with the goal of civil campaigning, I am always amazed at the mud that is slung and the fear that is spread in the midst of an election.

This is a normal part of campaigning for some folks in order to literally “scare” up votes for one particular candidate over another. I would like to say this is rare; however, this type of fear-mongering is a little too common for my taste, and for most of the voters as well.

Remember, NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING DOES NOT WORK IN SMALL COUNTIES……..PERIOD!!!

In the normal course of an election I speak with all the candidates, especially those in contested races. Without exception, I feel fairly certain that I have a good idea of what to expect once the winning candidate is sworn into office.

This year is no exception.

I will make this as general as I can as I don’t know all of the specifics of the situation; only what I was told.

This weekend I was asked by several folks if it was true that there would be mass firings in one of our county offices if a particular candidate won the race.

The quick answer is this, NONE of the current crop of GOP Candidates in Milam County have expressed any interest in mass firings should they win their respective race. To do so once they took office would be the most ignorant and self-destructive act imaginable for a newly elected office holder.

For Instance, how many people actually know the workings inside an office such as the county Tax Assessor-Collector’s office? With such a small number of people understanding how to handle the work in this office, it would make no sense for someone to win election and then step into that office and fire the individuals who know how to do the job in hand.

I don’t mean to pick on the Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office because the same can be said for a Commissioner’s office, the County or District Clerk’s office, or any of the other county office. Yet it seems like every election there’s one candidate, or one of the candidate’s surrogates, that makes this claim that there will be mass firings should a certain candidate get elected.

For the record, Mass firings didn’t happen in 2010, didn’t happen in 2012, didn’t happen in 2014, and I don’t see it happening in 2016 just because one candidate is elected over another candidate.

As a matter of fact, from what we have seen in the past, regardless of party affiliation, elected department heads have fought to keep the jobs of those working for them and increase their pay rather than let them go.  It’s doesn’t always work, but I have yet to see one locally elected candidate (of either party) who walked into office on day one and fired everyone.

So when you go to the polls. please don’t let the nay-sayers and the Doom-and-Gloom folks get to you. Go to the polls and vote for the candidates who you feel are the most qualified and who you think will do the best job.

Thanks for your support.

Bill

Campaign No-No’s – I Promise this is SHORT!!

Each campaign season we start off with the highest of aspirations as I pray that we have honorable and up-beat elections based on the issues of the office being sought and the qualifications of the individuals running for those office. Ideally the hope would be that a candidate is qualified to handle the office, understands the entirety of the work done by the office, and wants to serve the constituency that elects them – IDEALLY!!

Sadly, there are some folks who run for office based on one issue; be it to run as a stepping stone to another office, a grievance towards the current officeholder, or an ego that feels the need to occupy that office. Inevitably we have one, or maybe two candidates that fit this bill just about each election cycle.

In the last few days I have had some talks with some concerned voters about a couple of issues and I feel the need to speak out and clear up a few things as they are currently known to the best of the knowledge of the Leadership of the Republican Party of Milam County – AND ME!!

I’ll make these quick and Easy.

1.       Currently, all the candidates running for office are in good standing with the Republican Party of Milam County.

2.       Currently, the entire slate of Republican Candidates is in good health and prepared to continue in or assume office following this year’s elections.

3.       AND, Currently, none of the candidates running for office in Milam County is in any trouble legally, and/or civilly.

Like I said, this is to the best of the knowledge of me and the leadership of the Republican Party of Milam County, and we stay pretty well informed.

So if you hear anything to the contrary, hear any GOP candidate making derogatory comments towards their opponent or another elected GOP officeholder, or you have concerns about something a candidate says, then feel free to give me a call, shoot me a text, hit me up on Facebook, or send me an email and I will be happy to discuss this with you.

I am here for all the candidates; however, I have and always will work towards the goals of fairness and civility in the election process here in Milam County.

Thanks,

Bill

williamwhitmire@yahoo.com

254-482-0354

Positive Campaigning in Milam County

As I look back at the last few years here in Milam County I am very proud of all the work that the folks in both the Republican Party and the Republican Women of Milam County have put in. In just four years we have built a conservative movement here in Milam County that as witnessed not only the first elected Republicans in Milam County, but a majority of Republicans in county office.

To Date, Republicans hold 14 of the 20 elected county offices – OUTSTANDING!

Most of the credit belongs to the candidates and the volunteers who have worked so hard to build the Republican Brand in Milam County. As the County Chairman I owe a great deal of gratitude to all those who have provided their time and money, as well as their active participation that has in turn provided untold motivation for me, for the Milam GOP Leadership, and for the candidates themselves – THANK YOU!

I would also like to thank everyone for what I consider the most important virtue of the Conservative Movement in Milam County – Staying Positive.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of negative campaigning, be it in federal, state, or local elections; however, from the first Milam GOP meeting I attended we have worked hard to conduct ourselves in a classy and positive manner while leaving the negative campaigning to others. As long as I am Chairman, I will continue to insist that candidates looking for the support and affiliation with the Republican Party of Milam County continue to do so.

In the most recent election we had one candidate for a county office who promised to run a positive, issue driven campaign. But when the rubber met the road, he used negative campaigning while claiming that he was simply using the incumbent’s record to demonstrate how his ideas would be better. Unfortunately his attacks (regardless of their accuracy) became more desperate as the campaign went on and he offended many voters as well as those in the party and in the end his negative actions resulted in him being soundly defeated.

While I am happy to report this sort of activity has been a rarity while campaigning at the county level, I am saddened to say that it is not and will not be the case at the state level. Currently we have several GOP candidates at the state level who are already using negative campaigning to attack fellow Republicans in the hopes of gaining votes – UNACCEPTABLE!

In the coming months you will begin to see the shaping of campaigns and feel an ever increasing exposure to those campaigns as we approach the November filing period and the March Primary Election. As always I will hold fast to the Milam GOP policy of supporting all the candidates who run under the GOP label in a fair and equitable manner. To those who chose negative campaign tactics, be advised that such actions will be met with little support from the Milam County GOP Leadership.

It’s not that the Milam GOP doesn’t support a candidate’s right to run their campaign as they see fit, we just want positive campaigning where the issues and ideas are discussed and the politics of personal destruction are a thing of the past. Remember, you can’t explain how you will make things better if you’re badmouthing you opponent.

Good Luck to all,
Bill


Bill Whitmire
Chairman
Republican Party of Milam County
www.milamgop.org