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Despite vote of no confidence, GOP head stands strong
At Charles meeting, Pelura addresses vision for state party
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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Maryland Republican Party Chairman Dr. James Pelura III, who received a vote of no confidence from local and state GOP leaders on Saturday, vowed to remain in power and refused to yield to criticism of his handling of the beleaguered state party.
In his first public appearance following Saturday's meeting of the state party's executive committee, Pelura, an Anne Arundel County veterinarian, told the Charles County Republican Club on Monday evening that he has no intention of resigning his leadership post.
"I'm still chairman. I've still got stuff to do," Pelura said to strong applause. "They say in veterinary medicine that 10 percent of your clients cause 90 percent of the problems. That's always the way it is."
The party's 31-member executive committee, which comprises representatives of each jurisdiction's central committee plus statewide officers, voted 20-10 on Saturday to pass a resolution of no confidence toward Pelura, who has been the subject of fierce criticism in recent months.
Most recently, Pelura has come under fire for the abrupt termination July 6 of the party's executive director, Justin Ready.
Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly have accused Pelura of meddling in legislative affairs by trying to direct policy for the party. Other detractors have blamed him for the party's financial woes and its failure to register more Republican voters.
While Pelura was in the hot seat over the weekend, it appeared he was among friends Monday as he laid out his vision for the future of the Maryland GOP.
"The problem is Republicans don't have a message, and they should have a message," he said. "Folks are ready to listen, grassroots groups are engaged, but we can't just sit back and think someone else is gonna' do it. Maryland can be a Republican state again."
One Pelura ally traveled halfway across the state to attend Monday's meeting and lend his support.
"[Jim] is under attack, and he's always been under attack by the minority," said Del. Richard K. Impallaria, a Republican who represents Baltimore and Harford counties in Annapolis. "He's done a fantastic job of working with the people in the state of Maryland."
Throughout his three years as chairman, Pelura said he's watched Maryland Republicans degrade into a party with a "cookie cutter plan."
"The problem is there is no philosophical basis to the party," he explained. "The only way a party can be relevant is to stick with a philosophy that's planned out."
Even with a strategy, it takes the right people to stick to their principles after an election.
"Stick to your guns: If you campaign as a conservative, you better stick to it," Pelura said.
Another Pelura backer, Charles County GOP Chairman Charles J. Lollar, applauded that perspective.
"You've gotta' stand for what's right, even if it's not the popular thing to do. I thought that's what integrity is," he said. "You've handled yourself very well, and I'll stand and fight with you anywhere."
Lollar was one of the 10 executive committee members who sided with Pelura, according to an anonymous e-mail received by the Maryland Independent and independently confirmed. The other supporters came from representatives of Anne Arundel, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Wicomico and Worcester counties. Pelura didn't vote.
Pelura's refusal to step down voluntarily has left party members uncertain how they should proceed.
After the two-and-a-half-hour meeting of the state party's executive committee, participants emerged declining to discuss what happened inside.
Little more was known by Tuesday.
"This is an internal problem. There's more that unites us in this state than divides us," said Mark Uncapher, chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party.
Chris Cavey, the party's first vice chairman, said, "I will not comment on the meeting Saturday, except to say the future of the Maryland GOP rests with Chairman Pelura, his decisions and management ability."
Pelura could be removed only through a two-thirds vote at a party convention, where votes are weighted based on the number of Central Committee members and the percentage of the state's Republicans in each county.
Using those measures, the 10 counties whose representatives backed Pelura could represent much more than the one-third of the votes needed to keep him in office, sources said.
Initially, the Saturday meeting was open, and many Republicans who are not executive committee members had come to hear the discussion. Shortly after it started, the meeting was closed to discuss the personnel matters surrounding Ready. That sent a dozen or more curious spectators outside to mill about the park benches on the sidewalk outside the state party offices in downtown Annapolis.
