★★★★★
Executive Board Member Reports
Juliana McMahan, Chair
The recent State Convention was an amazing experience. For the first time we held a state-wide endorsement convention for our Republican candidates. Although it had some bumps, that is not unexpected considering the many handicaps we face with the current primary election process here in Washington state.
The next important election-related event is coming up on May 6-10 with candidate filing week!
First, if you want to be a PCO in 2025-2026, you will need to file during filing week. This is true for current PCOs as well as new ones. The link to file online is below. Note: This link does not go live until Monday, May 6 at 8:00 a.m.
File online to be a PCO in 2025-2026!
Second, please consider running for one of the other offices here in Kitsap County. We need good candidates for every position! We are in special need of candidates for Kitsap County Commissioner. One of the main duties of county commissioners is running the county--similar to running a business. They make decisions which help direct everything from business permits to parks. Please think about running if you have life experience which would make you a good candidate for this position.
See which positions are up for election!
If you want to see which positions still need a candidate, the link to view the list of those who have already filed for office is below. It will not have any information until Monday.
See who has filed for office!
★★★★★
KCRP is looking to hire a full-time employee who will help execute our strategic plan of turning Kitsap County red! If you know if someone who might be interested, please email chair@kitsaprepublicans.com for a job description.
★★★★★
Sean Murphy, Vice Chair & Events Committee Chair
Our plans to attend local events are in full swing. If you are interested in participating in a local event, please let me know.
Door-knocking season is here! Please watch for opportunities to doorbell coming soon!
★★★★★
John Cameron, State Committeeman & PCO Committee Chair
The PCO/Volunteer Committee is focused on recruiting members for the Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) Committee and ballot harvesting. We have a church in Port Orchard which is helping members register to vote, talk about issues, get educated, and have voting parties.
The PCO of the month is Chuck DeCosta. Congratulations Chuck!
★★★★★
Shelly McKinley-Olson, Treasurer & LDD Committee Chair
They are already planning next year's Lincoln Day Dinner. If you have not already filled out the post-event survey, the link is below. The committee would like to hear from everyone about what kind of an event they would like to see next year--both those who were able to attend this year and those who were not.
Lincoln Day Dinner Survey
★★★★★
Linda Popp, Secretary & GOTV Committee Chair
She observed the recent Conservation District Election. Her takeaway from the Conservation District ballot processing: it was done incredibly poorly. She suggests the Conservation District Election Supervisor should—at a minimum—go to the auditor’s office for some training on how to count ballots.
★★★★★
John Johanson, Bremerton & Candidate Support Committee Chair
He is almost done with our candidate resource webpage. He is excited to be able to offer this to candidates soon!
★★★★★
Francis Doyle, South Kitsap & Election Integrity Committee Chair
He continues to work with Chuck DeCosta on election monitoring. He recently received a heat map which might help to identify areas with potential voter fraud. They are going to use this to help clean-up the voter roles.
★★★★★
Volunteers Needed!
If you have been looking for opportunities to volunteer, now is a great time! Below are some key opportunities to help:
Volunteer to help on one of the many KCRP Committees. Some key committees: Events chaired by Sean Murphy; Get-Out-The-Vote Committee chaired by Tara Lucas; PCO chaired by John Cameron; Candidate Support chaired by John Johanson; Candidate Recruitment chaired by Rick Kuss; Lincoln Day Dinner chaired by Shelly McKinley-Olson; and Election Integrity chaired by Francis Doyle.
★★★★★
Thoughts and stray input
Media Reports Are Biased (no surprise here): One of our fellow Republicans recently took a trip cross-country to Texas and had some items to report. To start, we are getting a very skewed view of America from our news outlets. The perceptions of journalists in New York City are not the same as in Washington State or the Midwest. For example, while grocery prices at Kroger in Texas are comparable to grocery prices at Fred Meyer (Kroger) in Washington, the gas in southeast Texas was as low as $2.96/gal, while the cheapest gas in Washington State right now is $4.56. There are many supporters (from sightings of flags and bumper stickers) for Trump, while there were NONE seen for Biden in the Midwest. Development is booming in cities like Casper, Phoenix, Houston and San Antonio. And people are more polite in the Midwest than in Washington state.
★★★★★
Border Problems: Senator Patty Murray is presiding over the proceedings for the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, cabinet member and Secretary for Homeland Security. The unchecked and uncontrolled immigration on our southern border has not improved in the past three years. While our social services are being overwhelmed by this flood of humanity, a criminal element is also causing a massive influx of human trafficking and dangerous drugs from Mexico to the U.S. The Federal government has fought the State of Texas tooth and nail when they exercised their sovereign rights to check this criminal flow. Criminals should be prosecuted and we need to limit the bleeding of public resources for those who are not U.S. Citizens.
★★★★★
Critical Areas Ordinance: Kitsap County has recently updated their Critical Areas Ordinance. To find out more, please visit https://www.kitsap.gov/dcd/Pages/Critical-Areas-Ordinance-Update-2024.aspx.
★★★★★
Following up on DEI and CRT: Heather MacDonald recently published an article in Imprimis regarding the state of affairs in meritorious hiring vs. "checking the boxes" and hiring based on parameters set by diversity programs. You can read her article here:
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/disparate-impact-thinking-is-destroying-our-civilization
CRT is a research model where, in testing for college entrance, in schools and across academia, certain racial groups consistently show a lower average than other racial groups. This has long been known, studied, and there have been innumerable attempts to redesign tests in order to "level the field." The results of this research have been mixed; the world of academia is truly concerned and mystified as to the cause and solution. Failing to find a solution, most institutes try to "mitigate" the lower test scores by hiring within DEI guidelines. This has resulted in lowering of standards and scores in hiring pilots, doctors, and other professions where you really want "the best of the best" not those who check a box on a diversity score card.
Many years ago in hiring practices, human resource departments used a formula in a practice known as Affirmative Action, which said that a certain percentage of whites, blacks, and other racial groups had to be hired consistent with the normal population. For example, if two candidates both qualified for a job, and one was white while one was another ethnic group, that "person of color" would be hired, even if the white person had better qualifications. This was also applied to gender-based hiring, the ideal goal being to reach a 50/50 mix of men and woman. This was mandatory for all government jobs; some private companies (not all) also followed this practice.
At some point, those passed over for hiring began to sue and companies realized they were not getting the best people, so the practice was discontinued. However, it DID remain in college admissions until it was over-turned by the Supreme Court in 2023.
https://www.sidley.com/en/insights/newsupdates/2023/08/us-supreme-court-ends-affirmative-action-in-higher-education--an-overview-and-practical-next-steps#:~:text=On%20June%2029%2C%202023%2C%20the,Carolina%20(UNC)%2C%20Nos
https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/History_of_Affirmative_Action.asp
★★★★★
Abolishing the Department of Education: There is legislation (H.R. 899) to abolish the federal Department of Education.
https://issuevoter.org/bills/1617/hr899-115-to-terminate-the-department-of-education-h-r-899
In a nutshell, this bill will abolish the Department of Education and, presumably, allow each state to run education in a way that suits them. There are a lot of concerns about what is being taught (and not taught) to students in government schools. The list of concerns is long:
https://www.freedomworks.org/support-termination-department-education-hr-899-0
Be sure to research this bill and take action as you see fit. Moms for Liberty (https://www.momsforliberty.org) supports this effort to abolish the Department of Education.
★★★★★
Anti-Israel Protests: The recent anti-Israel protests and attacks on Israel are rooted in flawed reasoning. In an ironic twist, many American protestors are angry young women, which, in light of the cultural attitudes of Hamas and Hezbollah toward women, is laughable. Write your Congresspeople and urge them to cut off all foreign aid to Iran in any way shape or form—it is funding terrorism.
★★★★★
Homelessness Resources
Veterans Affairs Homeless Programs: www.va.gov/homeless
VA Homelessness Hotline: Dial 877-424-3838 and Press 1
Narcotics Anonymous: www.kitsapgov.com/pubdef/Pages/AA-and-NA-Meeting-info.aspx
NA help line: 360-215-2616
★★★★★
Kitsap County Auditor's Office - Elections Information
www.kitsap.gov/auditor/Pages/elections.aspx
★★★★★
School Board and City Council Notes
KCRP School District Information Page
www.kitsaprepublicans.com/school-districts
Bainbridge Island School District
School board website: www.bisd303.org/domain/44
Bremerton Bremerton School District
School board website: www.bremertonschools.org/SchoolBoard
Documents link: go.boarddocs.com/wa/wabrsd/board.nsf/public
Central Kitsap School District
School board website: www.ckschools.org/administration/c_k_s_d_school_board/school_board
North Kitsap School District
School board website: www.nkschools.org/about-us/school-board
Advisory board website: www.nkschools.org/get-involved/advisory-committees
South Kitsap School District
School board website: www.skschools.org/school-board
Board meetings recap: www.smore.com/gp6t2
Many parents in the South Kitsap district have found the "Parent Square" app/link to be very helpful in "being connected" with their district. See www.skschools.org for more information.
City Council
Video archives of city council meetings from all over Kitsap County can be found at:
bremerton.vod.castus.tv/vod/?live=ch1&nav=recent
★★★★★
KCRP Executive Board Contact Info:
www.kitsaprepublicans.com/board
Contact other conservative groups in our area: www.kitsaprepublicans.com/local-groups
Contact Newsletter Editor: josiec5150@gmail.com
Note: Please put your topic in your tag line and source your articles. Thank you!
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Do you have 1-2 hours a week or month to volunteer in person, at home, or virtually? KCRP needs volunteers in many areas for any skill level.
Volunteer Now!
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