Happy New Year-Hello 2012! Here's wishing you all the best in the coming year and beyond!! Although some would debate how good a year 2011 was on the national front, here in Virginia we had a pretty good year for conservatives!! We picked up more seats to the House of Delegates and flipped the VA Senate. Now we turn our sights to 2012 with the Presidential debates in full swing, the U.S. Senate seat debates and the pending Congressional redistricting with those ensuing races. Along the way we have some other races that get largely overshadowed if not ignored. Those are the races for the Virginia Republican Party leadership. With the exception of the Presidential and Congressional "bonus seats" for the congressional districts on the State Central Committee, which terms coincide with the President's or Congressman's term, all other seats are up for election in this the quadrennial year. That means we elect a new Party Chairman and officers at all levels, local unit committees, Congressional District committees and the state committee the Republican Party of Virginia of which the State Central Committee is the governing body. The RPV SCC besides the positions elected by the SCC itself is comprised of members that you vote for at the state and Congressional District conventions this spring. The RPV Chairman, the 11 Congressional District Chairmen, the 3 SCC representatives from each congressional district are all up for election. This is when you can have the most impact on the direction your party takes for the next 4 years! If you have ever been asked, "What the heck is the Republican party doing?" and were unable to answer comfortably, then you can understand the need for good leadership. What should we be looking for in the leaders we choose? Good leaders should always, first and foremost, reflect the wishes of those they represent. They should be willing to listen to the party members and committees that elected them. What we don't need are leaders who are merely a placeholder to cast votes for another interest or are chained to an ideology or single issue. You may be familiar with some of them, you know the folks that sit there like a "bump on the log" and never have anything substantive to contribute and never consult with you for input on issues since they have already been instructed on how to vote by their mentor. Or the ones that always vote "nay" just to be different or to register some picayune complaint rather than embrace the spirit of the effort at hand. And how about the ones that drill down on one all engrossing issue that predicates how they will vote or who they will vote for every time, you know ones like, the all or nothing "convention vs. primary" crowd, where it doesn't matter what qualifications someone has, how well they will represent or how strong their character and honor; only how will they vote, "convention or primary," should it come up? To that end the party has four nominating processes each one appropriate for differing times and circumstances and, as in most things, rarely is one prescription appropriate for all situations. And then there is the question about commitment, as in having a financially vested interest in the party and its success. As most of you well know all party committees need funding to continue their work and be successful in recruiting, GOTV efforts and community outreach. It stands to reason that those leaders who recognize this fact and have significantly contributed to the party organizations, will themselves, having led by example, find it easier to help raise the monies that their party needs to prosper. You can find out who who has been "putting their money where their mouth is" and to what extent by checking "here". Now to the cusp of this letter, it is an invitation for you to join the ranks of leadership in your party and help guide it through the troubled waters we find ourselves trying to navigate. If you are firmly rooted in the principles and "creed" of the Republican Party Of Virginia, if you believe yourself to be a true leader in that you will represent those who elected you and not be chained to an ideology/issue or the wishes of a mentor, if you are financially vested in your party and are willing to help raise the funds necessary for your party to prosper, if you have felt the desire to serve but weren't sure how, if you are willing to invest the time and energy necessary to make a difference then I invite you to step up and explore the possibilities open to you this year, but you must act now. Attached are 2 files that explain the "terms" used by the party, the RPV "party processes" and the nominating processes as well as the party offices and the term of office, along with a quick at a glance chart. RPV%20Common%20Terms%20and%20Abbreviations.pdf RPV%20Party%20Processes%20At%20A%20Glance.pdf It is up to you to "contact" the Congressional District Committee and/or your local unit committees at "Get Local", to find out how and when to file as a delegate to the appropriate conventions or to file to run for an SCC seat. If you expect to vote in unit committee elections for the 2012 year, you must be a member in good standing beforehand. You must make sure you have applied for your new membership prior to your local convention so that you can be voted in and be able to run for party office or vote in the officer elections the first meeting after your local convention. If you have leaders that you are pleased with, then by all means support them in their positions, and if you know of other leaders beside yourself that you would like to see step up to one of the other positions please encourage them. Thank you for your time. Good luck! Semper Libertas, Tom Whitmore | 
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