On Wednesday, January 11th, 2023 at 11:14, williamsr@wbeerman.com <williamsr@wbeerman.com> wrote:
Dear member of the Dona Ana Republican Party, County Central Committee (CCC).
I am William Beerman, a candidate for Party Treasurer.
Do you have even a vague idea of where the resources of the Dona Ana County Republican Party come from, the quantity of resources available, how they are managed, how they are expended, and who ends up with the money?
Party members attending recent informal meetings at the Grapevine Plaza and the Coalition of Conservatives in Action said they are not made aware of such important financial information. Some even said they heard there may not be enough money to pay the rent on Headquarters in February.
Do you feel that if the CCC members were informed and involved in decision-making about use of party resources, we might use those resources more effectively or seek more resources to improve our abysmal record regarding getting Republicans elected?
If elected Party Treasurer, I will ensure that all CCC members are kept informed about the resources available. Then, you can express your ideas about how the resources should be used. Planning can be done.
In the meantime, I offer the following points about “transparency” and “involvement” for your consideration:
- The treasurer listed on the party website as of January 11, 2023 is not the treasurer. She has been variously reported informally as having been gone since September or October. She herself reportedly had replaced a treasurer who resigned in mid-term previously. The Uniform State Rules of the Republican Party of New Mexico (USR-NM), C-1-4, Par. C2, requires that when a treasurer vacancy occurs, a replacement shall be elected by a properly called CCC meeting in not to exceed 30 days after the vacancy occurs. Did you vote on any treasurer last year?
- On December 31, 2022, I asked the party chairwoman and the reported acting treasurer for the last four Treasurer Reports. I did not get them. Eventually, on January 5, I received a sketchy one-page report listing only total revenues and total expenses for 7 months (June-December) during 2022. There were 14 numbers – two per month for income and expenses. I added them up and got $26,057 in Income and $40,662 in Expenses. The report was labeled “Republican Party of Dona Ana County Financial Report as of 12/31/2022.” What happened to January through May, if I may pose just one question?
- Notes on the “Financial Report” show “the finance committee approved reimbursement of $21,600 to (Chair) K Skaggs for rent” that she advanced earlier for the headquarters office, and a payment of $3,000 to Mary Gardner (currently a candidate for First Vice-Chair) for working on election integrity. (Mary Gardner’s husband, Peter Schnettler, is currently a candidate for Party Treasurer.) The question arises: “Who else gets paid?”
- As of January 9, 2023, the New Mexico Secretary of State (SOS) financial report for the 2022 election cycle for our county party shows $161,336 in contributions, $132,331 in expenses, and a compliance status of “Out of Compliance.” https://login.cfis.sos.state.nm.us/index.html It lists five fines for late filing, four of which were waived, and one fine of $1,150 shown as “Outstanding.” Substantial sums seem to be involved here. Maybe if the insiders of the Dona Ana party held regular public meetings, we could ask them about finances and make suggestions. I will note that on January 10, the acting party treasurer told me the SOS financial report figures seem to be much too high and apparently cover 2021 and 2022 – two years. SOS has not yet replied to my inquiries and my January 4, 2023 freedom of information request.
- Finally, USR-NM, 3-1-6, Par. E, states “Each county executive committee shall obtain an annual audit or review of all accounts and records of the Republican Party of its county within 60 days after the end of the fiscal year and shall submit a financial statement at least annually to the members of the county central committee.” Did you get your report for any year in recent memory?
As you may know, financial matters are not the only ones where transparency and member involvement are deficient. We must get our CCC members involved and we must have transparency from the party insiders if we are to improve our record of failing to get Republican candidates elected. The USR-NM states that the CCC (you) “shall be the governing body of and shall have general supervision and control of the political affairs of the Republican Party of that county.” You may delegate whatever authority you choose to the County Executive Committee.
It seems to be about time that the CCC becomes involved and takes back control of our party. If elected, I will facilitate that by providing the necessary transparency for financial information.
If you would like details about my background, you can find some at my former city council candidate web site, www.BeermanForCouncilMan.com
