www.PinellasRepublicans.com February 2015 ON THE MOVE! webElect.net Your Campaign Connected OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PINELLAS COUNTY REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MONDAY February 9, 2015 Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee Meeting 6 PM Member Orientation and Education Forum 7 PM Meeting Begins Banquet Masters 13355 49th Street North Clearwater, FL 33763 PCREC OFFICE HOURS 9 AM to 2 PM Monday—Friday CONTENTS Page 1—Chairman’s Message Page 2—Meeting Speaker Membership Info Club Corner—PCYR Page 3—Calendar Page 4—RPOF Elections PCREC Officers: Nick DiCeglie & Todd Jennings Page 5—District Leader Election PCREC Officers: CaseyCox & Pam McAloon Page 6—Lee Pilon On behalf of the Executive Board, I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful and safe holiday season. The Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee is off to a great start in 2015. In January, the 20152016 PCREC Strategic Plan was rolled out to members, and it was very well received. The coming months will include additional information on the strategic plan and many more opportunities to get involved in a meaningful and effective manner. The ultimate goal is to build a world class grassroots organization that will help Republican candidates win elections on a consistent basis. The planning process for 2016 continues, and there will be many opportunities to be involved in the various areas of our organization. Whether it’s voter registration, membership, phone calling, precinct walking or serving as a community liaison, there is place for you to get engaged in our party. We need PCREC precinct committee men and women to be fully engaged, and that will make the ultimate difference in winning elections. Stay tuned for a volunteer training workshop that will take place later this spring. Because we hold the majority in the US House of Representatives, as well as the US Senate, Republicans now have a wonderful opportunity to pass meaningful legislation that will focus on less taxes, smaller government and less regulations. This will demonstrate to the American people that Republicans have a positive agenda for the county which will give them the best opportunity to achieve the American Dream. My goal is that through this positive message and strategy we will lead our future Republican Presidential nominee to victory in 2016. The future of our country depends on it. Nick DiCeglie Chairman, Pinellas Republican Party Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee Office | 4707 140th Avenue North | Suite 208 | Clearwater, FL 33762 Phone: (727) 539-6009 | Fax: (727) 536-5902 | [email protected] Chairman DiCeglie to spell out PCREC challenges PCREC Chairman Nick DiCeglie will be the speaker for the February 9 PCREC meeting. He will outline the specific areas the membership will be concentrating on for 2015— 2016 to strengthen grassroots efforts in order to win elections going forward. He will cite past actions and outline fresh approaches to: H Team Leadership H Boots on the Ground H Facebook/Twitter postings H Phone calling H Voter Registration H Office Volunteers H Build PCREC membership Membership has its privileges Membership has its privileges, to quote American Express, because it leads us down the road to the White House in 2016! The American Dream is at stake, and now is the time to ensure it doesn’t become obsolete and to rise to the occasion as Americans have always done since it became, and continues to be, the greatest country on the face of the Earth. Florida is now the third most populated state, which means that Pinellas County is the heart of the matter as to who will govern us in these unprecedented times. The Republican platform is profound, and when people are enlightened regarding it, they cannot help but be persuaded. We can have 1,626 committeemen and women in our county, and we currently have 222! To be victorious, the infrastructure has to be laid now, and we have to do our due diligence as committeemen and women to endeavor to recruit new members to fill every vacancy since we are Republicans and do things the RIGHT way! If you can get your precinct full then you lighten your load and make it more difficult for Democrats to be in power, which should be quite an incentive. Last year we resumed the awarding of service pins for years of PCREC service, which is a wonderful tradition and is well received by our members. New members remember to order your name badge when you check-in if you do not yet have one. Prior to every PCREC meeting at 6 P.M., there is a walk-in orientation for anyone interested in becoming a member. There will also be training sessions throughout the year regarding how to fill every opening. In addition to the PCREC, please consider joining the Ivory Club or Chairman’s Circle because these are wonderful ways to not only raise money for our local party but to simply enjoy being amongst fellow members in wonderful venues, which these events are also great recruiting opportunities as guests are always welcome! If you would like further information regarding membership, please contact Headquarters or [email protected] or 727-543-3233 for texts and calls. Never forget that just one person can make a profound difference, so just imagine how much of a difference 1,626 can make! Club Corner: Pinellas County Young Republicans Berny Jacques, President (239-404-5145) [email protected] Pinellas County Young Republicans meets at 7 pm the second Tuesday of the month at The Grand Siam 2325 Ulmerton Road Clearwater 33762 The Pinellas County Young Republicans were founded in 2011. Over the last few years, the PCYRs have grown from a few dedicated members to a vibrant, dynamic group of over 60 members. The PCYRs are always looking for new members—young and young at heart—to join them. The PCYRs have played an integral role in campaigns across the county and state, having been named “winners” by Saint Petersblog in the 2014 Primary and General elections. The PCYRs were also named the “Get Out The Vote” Club of the Year by the Florida Federation of Young Republicans. Currently, three of the club’s members serve as State House Members. The PCYRs strive to play an active role in the community and put on dynamic programming for its members. Thanks to the hard work of club members and generosity of club supporters, the PCYRs have put on successful fundraisers for PARC, UPARC, HEP and Nourish to Flourish. Additionally, some of the club’s most popular social events have been a Tampa Bay Rays game, happy hours across the county, Guns and Grillin’ at Wyoming Antelope Club and annual Halloween Bar Crawls, Christmas Party & Toy Drives and Statesman Dinners. CALENDAR OF EVENTS—FEBRUARY 2015 Sun 1 Mon 2 Tue 3 Wed 4 Thu 5 Fri 6 7 BWRC HRC 8 9 10 16 11 PCYR PCREC 15 17 12 SPRC 18 23 13 14 CPRC 19 TAR 20 21 27 28 NPRC RCGL 22 Sat 24 25 RRRC 26 TSRC BELLEAIR WOMEN’S REPUBLICAN CLUB (1st Friday of the Month) FRIDAY February 6__ 11:30 AM Field Trip to Armed Forces Military History Museum Location: 2050 34th Way, North Largo 33771 Contact: President Claudia Thomas (813) 361-4345 [email protected] www.BelleairWomensRepublicanClub.com CENTRAL PINELLAS REPUBLICAN CLUB (2nd Thursday of the Month) THURSDAY February 12 Guest Speaker: PCREC Chairman Nick DiCeglie Location: 9100 113th Street North, Room 210, Seminole, FL Contact: President Barbara Stephens (727) 397-3449 [email protected] 11:30AM HISPANIC REPUBLICAN CLUB OF PINELLAS (1st Monday of the Month) MONDAY February 2 Guest Speaker: Dr. Robert Lawrence Location: Crabby Bill’s, 401 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785 Contact: President Chely Hernandez-Miller (727) 434-4008 www.HispanicRepublicanClub.com [email protected] 7 PM NORTH PINELLAS REPUBLICAN CLUB (3rd Thursday of the Month) THURSDAY Guest Speaker: Pinellas Tax Collector Diane Nelson Location: Leo’s Italian Grill, 33286 US 19 North, Palm Harbor 34684 President: Jim Downes Contact: Sue Berfield (727) 443-7316 [email protected] 6 PM February 19 PINELLAS COUNTY REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (2nd Monday of the Month) MONDAY February 9 Guest Speaker: Chairman Nick DiCeglie on Membership Location: Banquet Masters, 13355 49th Street, North Clearwater, FL 33762 Contact: Office (727) 539-6009 [email protected] www.PinellasRepublicans.com PINELLAS COUNTY TEENAGE REPUBLICANS (2nd Saturday of the Month) Volunteering at the Historic Rose Cemetery (Lunch provided) Location: 312 E. Harrison Street, Tarpon Springs 34689 Contact: President ReLynn Capra (727) 459-5104 PINELLAS COUNTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS (2nd Tuesday of the Month) Guest Speaker: Pinellas County Commissioner John Morroni Location: The Grand Siam, 2325 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater 33762 Contact: President Berny Jacques (239) 404-5145 [email protected] SATURDAY February 14 TUESDAY 7 PM 9:30 AM February 10 7 PM REPUBLICAN CLUB OF GREATER LARGO (3rd Monday of the Month) MONDAY February 16 6 PM Guest Speaker: Deborah Pauley on Social Media Location: Alfano’s Restaurant, 1702 Clearwater Largo Road, Clearwater, FL 33756 Contact: President Casey Cox (727)480-9155 [email protected] http://largorepublicans.com RONALD REAGAN REPUBLICAN CLUB (4th Tuesday of the Month) Guest Speaker: TBA Location: Kally-K’s Restaurant, 1600 Main Street, Dunedin, Fl 34698 Contact: President Erwin Beck 727-418-6676 [email protected] FRIDAY February 24 7 PM ST. PETERSBURG REPUBLICAN CLUB (2nd Wednesday of the Month) WEDNESDAY February 11 Guest Speaker: PCREC Chairman Nick DiCeglie Location: St. Petersburg Community Church 4501 30th Avenue North, St. Petersburg 33710 Contact: President Gail Hebert (727) 526-2492 [email protected] 7 PM TARPON SPRINGS REPUBLICAN CLUB (4th Thursday of the Month) Guest Speaker: TBA Location: Call or email Tory Perfetti for information Contact: Tory Perfetti (727) 480-1699 [email protected] 7 PM THURSDAY February 26 The Republican Party of Florida congratulates new Chairman Blaise Ingoglia, Vice Chairman Joe Gruters, Secretary Kristy Banks, Treasurer Jeff Howell, Assistant Secretary Clint Pate and Assistant Treasurer Ade Aderibigbe. Ingoglia won decisively on a second ballot, defeating Leslie Dougher 132-90. These newly elected RPOF board members have the leadership and vision to make 2016 victories a reality. Sharon Day remains as RPOF National Committeewoman and RNC CoChairman, and National Committeeman Peter Feaman also won his re-election. Blaise Ingoglia Joe Grueters Chairman Ingoglia, 44, is a homebuilder, Hartland Homes, from Spring Hill. Blaise has served as party vice chairman since 2011. In a speech before the vote, he noted President Barack Obama carried Florida the last two presidential elections and it’s important that Republicans are successful here next year if they want to win the White House. Vice Chairman Gruters promises to utilize his “skills and knowledge at the state level.” He vows to ensure “Florida is a red state in the 2016 presidential elections.” His strategy takes in four issues: supporting Chairman Ingoglio, winning elections, protecting and promoting the Republican Party’s principles and empowering local Florida leaders. Meet the new PCREC officers Nick DiCeglie—Chairman Todd Jennings—Vice Chairman The Chairman says, “We really need to work on getting out the vote and talking to people on the ground for the 2016 and 2018 elections.” He said the county went from red to purple, and he is afraid it may now be shifting to blue. That’s something Nick doesn’t want to see happen. Todd hopes to unify the PCREC by fostering an atmosphere of professionalism and respect. He aims to broaden the Party's bench of future leaders by taking a stronger role in municipal elections. Nick has owned Solar Sanitation Inc. since 1996 and is proud to have grown up in the waste management industry, learning all aspects of the family business from both his mother and father. Nick is actively involved in the Pinellas County community. His current leadership roles also include serving as Chairman of the Board for the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, and he is a Governor’s Appointee on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council as well as a board member for Leadership Pinellas. Nick grew up in North Woodmere NY, and has resided in Florida since 1996. He is married to Erica DiCeglie, an accomplished artist and composer. They have two children, Livia 10 and Carlo 6. Shortly after moving to Pinellas, Todd founded the Pinellas County Young Republicans which he chaired in 2011 and 2012 when it was named best small YR club in the state of Florida. Presently, Todd serves as an appointee of Governor Scott on the Sixth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission and sits on the boards of the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club and the Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association. Todd is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and received his degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee. Thereafter, he volunteered for submarine duty and served as a commissioned officer aboard the USS Maryland. After serving, he attended law school at the University of Florida, and he presently practices law in the Tampa Bay area. Todd lives with his wife, Rachel, and their two young children, Grayson and Evelyn, in Belleair. Election of District Leaders will take place at February PCREC meeting The position of District Leader is vital to the organizational flow of the local Republican party. The District Leader is the person who works directly with the Chairman to insure that the plans of the PCREC are disseminated to the members of their district. The District Leader also organizes activities on the district level as directed by the Chairman. In Pinellas County, the seven PCREC Districts are divided along State House District lines. At the February 9th PCREC meeting, members will be electing seven District Leaders. Members will receive "fill in the blank" ballots upon check-in. During the new business portion of the meeting, the membership will divide into districts where any member of that district may announce his or her candidacy. After the district members have decided the leader, all members will reassemble for the announcement of winners. District Leader Job Description:  Recruit Precinct Committeemen/women to fill vacancies in district  Become certified as a Third Party Agent (Voter Registration)  Attend PCREC events, i.e. monthly PCREC meetings, scheduled leadership meetings, training and workshops  Set goals for volunteer activity for district  Contact members of district on monthly basis  Introduce self to local homeowners and neighborhood associations  Introduce self to local leaders (elected officials in your district, church leaders etc.)  Attend local government meetings in your district when possible  Offer to speak at neighborhood meetings  Use social media judiciously  File monthly Activity Report to chairman Meet the new PCREC officers Casey Cox—Treasurer Pam McAloon—Secretary Casey’s focus has been on electing Republicans in the offices of PCREC Secretary and President of the Greater Largo Republican Club. Newly elected PCREC Treasurer, he plans to incorporate bookkeeping technology to assist the executive board in monitoring revenues and expenditures. The technology will improve transparency, accuracy and efficiency of the finances and monthly reports. Casey says, “In order to be successful in supporting candidates, a strong fundraising strategy is necessary.” Pam served as President and Secretary of the North Pinellas Republican Club and is the newly elected Secretary of the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee. Pam says, “United, we can and will vote a Republican into the White House in 2016! As Abe Lincoln once said, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’. Let us not forget the importance of uniting ourselves upon the principles of our platform as we march onto victory!” Pam has been a Republican for all of her voting life and is proud of what the Republican Party represents. Casey was born in California where he started playing baseball as a youngster and went on to pitch for the Cincinnati Reds, beginning his professional baseball career in 1962. Casey pitched four years in the Minor Leagues and seven years in the Major Leagues (1966-1973) for the Washington Senators, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. When he retired, he began working in insurance and health care coverage. Casey and his wife, Jan, were married in 1992. They now live in the Feather Sound community in St. Petersburg. Pam grew up in the military. (Her father was a pilot and officer in the Air Force.) She lived in many different states and lived in Japan for two years. Pam chose nursing as a profession; met her husband, Edward, a physician; and together they have raised three children and now boast of seven grandchildren. ON THE MOVE! Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee 4707 140th Avenue North, Suite 208 Clearwater, FL 33762 Security—Fidelity— Service Daniel Lee Pilon PCREC members all know Lee Pilon as the friendly face who welcomes them at every event. Lee has been PCREC’s acting Sergeant at Arms for the past three years. He believes in fiscal responsibility, limited government, and that winning elections begins at home. Lee runs a successful manufacturing company, building custom cabinets and doors. He established the CAC (Conservative Action Committee) which became the North County Romney Campaign office with over 500 volunteers. The office remained open for three years to conservative organizations and to groups providing education through training sessions and presentations on local political issues. The office also supported local candidates through funding raising, hosting presentations and holding candidate forums. Lee served our country as a Marine in the Vietnam War 1963—1967 as a Marine Airborne Paratrooper. He has lived in the Tampa Bay area most of his life. He became a Certified Residential Contractor and ran a successful business building custom Homes for over 35 years. PCREC BOARD Nick DiCeglie, Chairman [email protected] Todd Jennings, Vice Chairman [email protected] Pam McAloon, Secretary [email protected] Casey Cox, Treasurer [email protected] Charlotte Smith, Executive Director [email protected] Brian Aungst—Legal Counsel Questions? Comments? Suggestions? [email protected] STATE PARTY OFFICIALS Blaise Ingoglia Dan Tucker Nancy Riley Jay J. Beyrouti Chairman-Republican Party of FL State Committeeman State Committeewoman State Committeeman at Large Attention PCREC Members: RPOF County Model Constitution: Section 4—Removal for Non-Attendance at County Executive Committee Meetings (a) A county executive committee member who is absent for three (3) consecutive regular meetings without a valid excuse shall be removed from the County Executive committee as of the date of the third consecutive missed meeting.