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Local News / Politics Local GOP censures secretary Sarah Anderson
Posted by Chet Hardin on Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 5:31 PM
- Bryan Oller
- Sarah Anderson: Not talking since GOP meeting.
Kanda Calef was one of the liberty activists who showed up Thursday night for the marathon meeting of the El Paso County Republican Party executive committee.
Like the 60 or more people who turned out to support the party secretary Sarah Anderson, Calef left that night without learning much of anything about the three-hour executive session that the committee conducted. Allowed in that meeting were the 30 members of the executive committee, including the chairman Eli Bremer, Anderson, and vice-chair David Williams, as well as attorney John Buckley. The rest of the local Republican party members who showed up were forced to wait around outside in the parking lot or scatter about in the party headquarters.
Some of the activists were escorted off the premises by a sheriff’s deputy, and stood in the street.
Calef, however, didn’t leave that night empty-handed.
Friday evening, she went on Grassroots Radio, an AM talk show out of Denver, to explain what she claimed happened during the closed-door meeting. Calef appeared to have in her possession a very detailed description of what went down.
"My source was not Sarah Anderson," she said. "I have sources. This is not something that people are happy about."
Anderson has declined to discuss the meeting with the Independent.
Calef refused to reveal her sources.
At dispute throughout the executive session, Kalef said on the radio show, was the future of Anderson's relationship with the party. She said Anderson was asked to resign multiple times. At one point, the meeting veered into hostility.
"I will tell you, there was fighting going on. I heard screaming and yelling ... And there was a hero in that room ... and that hero was our district attorney Dan May."
According to Calef, May stepped in to "represent" Anderson throughout much of the meeting's proceedings.
"I am so proud of him. Because if I had been in there and seen this 22-year-old young woman — she's extremely articulate, she's extremely intelligent, but I know her heart; she has a very sweet heart," Calef said, "I don't know if I could have had the self-control to not do something at that point."
The radio host wondered aloud, where was the state chairman, Ryan Call, in all of this? There was no answer.
According to Calef, multiple resolutions were passed in the executive session.
One stated that Anderson must abide by the bylaws of the party "to the satisfaction of the chairman," said Calef. "And there is this understanding that she won't be allowed to the talk with the media.”
Part of that is that she is on probation until the next executive committee meeting.
Another: Anderson must write a public statement by Monday that includes a pledge to uphold the bylaws of the party, and to encourage all of her supporters to unite behind the Republican party. She also has the option to include an apology to all of those people that she has offended by her outspokenness.
"Here's the caveat with all of this," Kalef said: "Guess who has the final say if this letter is appropriate or not?"
Answer, she continued: Eli Bremer.
Yet another passed resolution, Calef continued, was that the El Paso County party chair, vice-chair and secretary would seek mediation. This will be conducted by state chair Call or his designee. "Mediation to get them to get along," Calef said.
"Remember, Eli said that there was only one topic, and oh, it was all unanimous," she added. "None of these were unanimous. So there were dissenters.
"One thing that was unanimous — it wasn't unanimous by a vote, it was in very loose context that it was unanimous. Eli, once again, used his tyrannical power to dictate that everything that happened in that closed-door session was to be confidential. No vote on that."
Calef goes on to point out that Bremer, after the executive session was over, fielded questions from the media and the 40 Republicans who had waited out the meeting. His claim, over and over, was that the executive committee discussed only one issue and voted unanimously not to disclose any of the details of the closed meeting.
There was a woman in the meeting who said that she had voted for Bremer, but that she didn't vote for him to be God or king, Calef said.
“This all boils down to the party protecting (state Rep.) Amy Stephens. The real failure is on Eli. … Sarah had no choice but to go to the media, because Eli wasn’t going to consider any of her concerns — only protection of incumbents.”
Comments (8)
Showing 1-8 of 8
The GOP's tactics and treatment of its very own Republican party members and precinct leaders is unacceptable - I was there and felt the same vibe. They are doomed. http://casida2012.com/2011/07/08/why-the-g…
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Posted by
TishaCasida
on 07/09/2011 at 6:59 PM
The condescending attitude of the clowns in the Colorado GOP leadership are EXACTLY the reason that we now have Governor Hickenlooper...
Posted by
Fed up in Longmont
on 07/09/2011 at 7:25 PM
For those interested in assisting with data collection re: the potential in seeing better local government through more open, and transparent people in office - and the removal of a large part of the problem: Commissioners Clark and Hisey, contact Donna at
springsunigroup@gmail.com
Posted by
fortworthrick
on 07/09/2011 at 7:43 PM
It seems ironic to me, since I grew up a libertarian leaning Republican in Colorado Springs, that the best reporting going on about the local GOP is from the Indy. The Gazelle is a joke. Chet Hardin is what we haven't seen in a long while... a great reporter.
Posted by
Bastiat lives
on 07/10/2011 at 12:21 AM
The new 'strong mayor' does not want city staff talking to the press.
The local Republican Party head does not want members to talk to the press.
Press feeling kind of lonesome?
All shades of Richard Nixon.
Posted by
Staci6
on 07/10/2011 at 8:39 AM
All because Amy Stephens was trying to create a business friendly health exchange to help ordinary folks obtain health insurance. Just what we need here in El Paso country--- more GOP liberty purists (an young health ones to boot) who don't give a *** about poor sick people. Sarah, I pray that God keeps giving your good health and removes that log in your eye to not see what good Amy was trying to do.
Posted by
moderateguy
on 07/10/2011 at 3:31 PM
@moderateguy
Passing more government regulation to combat larger government regulation to help protect the people from government regulation that has largely contributed to the problem seems like a pretty tyrannical path to push down, guess what comes next...
I understand your emotional investment in your argument; However, there is a little contradicting considering that if the free markets and less government regulation on the healthcare industry and insurance existed, the average person could afford their general care in cash and insurance companies would primarily exist to cover catastrophic events.
As well community support, organizations, churches would handle those that are very financially troubled, but they can't.
With legislation at state and federal level trying to make HSA(Health Savings Accounts) illegal where you save up and pay in cash up to 5k a year usually, this shows this is not to have responsibility at any level, it is control, and power.
Won't it be great when you can't get any healthcare because our financial system has collapsed with all the entitlement and government run irresponsible control. All the entitlements and benefits you seek won't exist at any level.
Posted by
JustinB
on 07/11/2011 at 4:10 AM
Now is the time to turn up the heat. The NeoCon Establishment is killing the Party and helping the Democratic Establishment kill the Republic. Those people are out of ideas and out-to-lunch with few principles and little knowledge of history, the Constitution and the true nature of our Republic. The longer they remain in power the further down the tubes the party will go.
If true Republican conservatives want a Party that represents them, the thing to get rid of are the NeoCon Establishment. NeoCons like the Bremer(s), Stephens, Liston, Gardner, Waller, Barker, etc., should be booted from the Party and run out of town on a rail the same as in the 19th century. They are both opportunistic and aggressive looters of the Party philosophy and values. Fake Republicans have been running the party for a decade. The followers of Karl Rove and Leo Strauss have brought the Party to this state, not Sarah Anderson.
The EPC GOP leadership what to lay all their failures at Sarah's feet. they're nothing more than cowards and hypocrits. The open GOP Precinct Leader positions should be swarmed by the Liberty and Freedom loving people RIGHT NOW!. That is the only way to be prepared to take control of the Caucus' and the leadership at upcoming meetings and assemblies. This is the last chance before 2012. Otherwise there is no to blame but ourselves.
Is there anything that will get the true conservatives off their asses before it's too late? anything?
Posted by
RealMoney
on 07/12/2011 at 1:24 AM
