(Galveston, TX) County Republicans Elect New Chair (Fellow FReeper, Gulfbreeze :)

Galveston Daily News ^ | March 10, 2004 | Carter Thompson

[anymouse]

County Republican Chairwoman Sandra Kelly lost hold of the party’s reins Tuesday in a lopsided defeat to Chris Stevens.

Stevens, a Dickinson piping designer, took 63.2 percent of the vote in a light turnout.

Democratic voters elected Tony Buzbee to remain chairman of the county party, a post he’s held since being appointed by the precinct chairs last year to replace the retiring Mary Ellen Brennan.

Buzbee, a Friendswood attorney, beat challenger Robert Hutchins, a Dickinson insurance salesman, by capturing 59.8 percent of the vote.

Republican voters in the North County also sent two constable races to an April 13 runoff election. Precinct 7 incumbent Guy Nichols, 43, will face Pam Matranga, 44, a deputy constable in Precinct 8, who was one of two challengers in Tuesday’s primary.

Constables Don Olsen, 56, and Jerry Fisher, 49, also will meet in a runoff for Precinct 8 after neither received more than half the votes in their race that included a third challenger. Olsen and Fisher are incumbents who were paired in the county’s 2001 redistricting plan.

Stevens, 34, said his campaign had been able to bring together the county party on a grass-roots level, which would bring dividends in the November general election. “We’re going to have a big, united party now,” he said.

Kelly, a 43-year-old League City resident, has served as the county Republican’s leader since 1998 and had since regularly dispatched her opponents handily. But she had sometimes battled with others in her party, including County Commissioner Ken Clark when she excluded him from an executive committee meeting in 2002.

Buzbee said his victory showed Democratic voters were pleased with the direction of the party since he was appointed chairman.

“I feel good about it,” he said. “We spent our time putting the election together. My job was getting other candidates elected, not myself elected.”

Like his Republican counterpart, Buzbee said he was optimistic about the party’s fortunes in November. The Democratic turnout was heavier, with 9,630 voters making it to the polls as compared with 4,820 Republicans who cast ballots.

[anymouse]

A fellow Texas FReeper, Gulfbreeze (AKA Chris Stevens) was just elected to the GOP Party Chairman of Galveston County. A lot of us down hear are very happy about how this will improve Republican motivation in our county to get out Republican voters in November to elect our great local, state and National Republican candidates. More to come.

[anymouse]

Texas FReeper ping.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Congrats and good luck.

[No Blue States]

Congrats to Gulfbreeze (AKA Chris Stevens)!

[jpsb]

Galveston County GOP? What's that, I live in Galveston County and thought I was the only Republican in the entire county.

[freekitty]

Fantastic.

[NonValueAdded]

Congratulations for your win.

[anymouse]

That's why Chris was elected by a large margin, the previous chairwoman was less than effective in organizing and motivating Galveston county Republicans. The change will be noticiable, especially by the Democrats, who know they are going to start loosing more elected offices in Galveston county.

[MeekOneGOP]

Congratulations, GB ! Give 'em heck ! (The 'RATS that is!)

;^)

[adam_az]

VRWC Operative ping!

Congrats, and keep fighting the good fight.

[Flyer]

Good deal, Chris.

We now have FReepers as County Chairs, Precinct Chairs, convention delegates, election officials. . .

*PING!*

As always, a FReep mail will get you on or off this Houston and Texas topics ping list.

[Badray]

Congrats!

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Flyer,

Just fyi a fellow FReeper Andy Meyers was reelected County Commissioner in FT Bend County with 58% of the vote. His opponent who had just moved here spent at LEAST 200K and was supported by both our self serving County Chairman and the even more self serving Mayor of Sugar Land.

[The_Victor]

Thanks for the ping.

Way to go Gulfbreeze!

[Xenalyte]

Woohoo and congratulations!

[jpsb]

jpsb@flash.net, I will be happy to help

[GeronL]

What about WOSG???

[WOSG]

GeronL, thanks for the ping and letting me toot my own horn.
I am now a precinct chair in Travis county.

Gulfbreeze/Chris, well done!

Maybe we can get together at the State convention in SA.

[GeronL]

Someday, we FReeper will be the establishment.

*snicker*

[WOSG]

Freeper Nation!