COLUMBUS, Ohio – Members of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee (SCC) are scheduled to meet Friday to determine if the party will censure Republican lawmakers who voted in January to impeach President Trump, elect two State Central Committee Members, and vote on an initiative that would extend the term limit from two years to four.
According to one central committee member, the initial intent was to censure U.S. Congressman Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16) for his impeachment vote but the effort has been “watered down” to include broader language that shifts the focus from Gonzalez and includes all GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach.
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A censure is a formal and public reprimand for actions that run counter to the standards of the group – in this case, the vote to impeach precluded due process and a formal investigation that would have provided evidence for members of the U.S. House of Representatives to consider prior to voting.
“The President of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties as prescribed by the Constitution,” Gonzalez said the day he voted to impeach Trump for incidents at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Then-Chairwoman of the Ohio GOP Jane Timken – who is now a candidate for the U.S. Senate – neither criticized nor sought censure of Gonzalez. It wasn’t until after she declared her run for federal office, and her third iteration of comments on Gonzalez, that she called for his resignation.
Friday marks 114 days since Congress voted to impeach President Trump.
The SCC is made up of a male and female member from each of Ohio’s 33 districts.
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A vacant seat in District 11 – the Toledo area – is sought by G. Christopher Joseph who is uncontested. Joseph will need a majority approval vote to earn the seat. He is currently Chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party, a member of the Lucas County Central Committee and owner of a real estate financing company.
The 18th District has two candidates who will each be given time to stump preceding the vote – the simple majority vote getter will take the open spot.
Mike Berger is a candidate – he is Treasurer of the Portage County Republican Party and an executive member of the Portage County State Central Committee. Berger was also a county chairman for Governor DeWine and State Senator Jerry Cirino. He is Director of Claims Operations at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, North Canton.
Alex Roth is also a candidate for the District 18 chair – he is Director of Government Affairs at RB Medical Supply. Roth managed U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce’s (R-OH-14) 2020 reelection campaign.
The function of the SCC is to be the governing body of the Ohio Republican Party. The role of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) is to work through the mechanisms of local, county and state committees to elect people and enact policies consistent with the Republican Party platform such as growing the economy, shrinking government and protecting freedoms.
The proposed permanent amendment to state GOP rules claims that the party “must capitalize on the experience of its members in general and members serving on Standing Committees, as well as to ensure continuity to the Ohio Republican Party during the change of guard of Committee Chairman and Officers who will continue to serve two-year terms as per current rules.” Consequently, the measure asks for committee members to be elected to four-year terms.
Friday will be the first full session under the Chairmanship of Bob Paduchik, who defeated John Becker back in February to take over as Ohio GOP boss. Unlike previous sessions, this one will not be broadcast live over Facebook.
Start time is 10:00 a.m. at Nationwide Hotel, located at 100 Green Meadow S in Lewis Center. During the February meeting the parliamentarian announced that the Ohio Republican Party is a public body, so the meeting is open to media and the public.
Read the full agenda:
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Jack Windsor is Statehouse Reporter at The Ohio Star. Windsor is also an independent investigative reporter. Follow Jack on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
