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AFRW E-News
July 2007
President's Message
In the past week, two opinion pieces have appeared in the Anchorage Daily News that present opposing views on the value of political parties in Alaska. One, by former governor Walter J. Hickel, suggests that Alaska is too big for partisan politics and that Alaska can do better. Another, by Alaska Republican Party counsel Bill Large, educates us about the opportunities Republicans have to help choose our Republican presidential nominee by participating in our district and statewide convention process next February and March.
As one who has made a conscious choice to embrace a political ideology, I reject the idea that parties do not matter. I also reject the idea that being "partisan" equates to being mean-spirited or inflexible.
Political parties articulate a set of overarching principles that guide the development of policy and the passage of legislation. Are parties always successful and do they always stick to that mission? Of course not. But by providing the organizational structure to unite people of common values, parties can help elect public officials who will advance those values.
Freedom is the central organizing principle of the Republican Party. This translates into our own Alaska Republican Party's Statement of Principles which is reprinted below. Every now and then it's good to become reacquainted with those principles and be proud of the "partisan" label those principles represent.
Statement of Principles:
Alaska Republicans Believe:
America was founded on the fundamental principles of liberty and freedom;
Government must preserve individual freedom by observing constitutional limitations;
Our country, our people and our Constitution must be honored, respected and defended;
The values that strengthen our nation are family, faith, personal responsibility and accountability;
In the sanctity of human life, from the time of conception until natural death;
Education is the most important investment we can make in our future, and we support parental control and responsibility, local control, high academic standards and innovative competition.
The free enterprise system is the most successful means of achieving economic justice;
The entrepreneurial spirit, which forged our state should be nurtured and not burdened by excessive governmental regulations;
Our national defense should be strong, viable and second to none;
Alaska's standing record of exemplary stewardship of the land demonstrates that responsible development of our resources is compatible with our unique environment.
Paulette Simpson
Panama Canal Cruise
Information regarding the Panama Canal Cruise fundraiser for AFRW is attached to this newsletter. Feel free to share it with Republican friends. Come join the fun!
Around Alaska
Anchorage Republican Women - Cathy Giessel, President
Anchorage Republican Women's Club heard about the legislative experiences of member, Representative Anna Fairclough, at our June meeting. Rep. Fairclough shared some funny experiences, as well as the "learning curve" she experienced as a freshman legislator. She also discussed legislation that she successfully sponsored that focused on her personal priority of safety for women and children in Alaska. As former executive director of Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), Rep. Fairclough has expertise in the area of assault and violence against women and children. Our Club is considering how we can incorporate this issue into our Community Service activities.
July 12 will be our annual Summer Salad Luncheon. This popular event is attended by Republican women from the Anchorage area, as well as Republican legislators from around the State. It is a great opportunity to network with local Republican women, meet elected Republican officials, and enjoy a great time together. We have extended invitations to Republican Party District Chairs, Young Republicans, and Midnight Sun RWC. This event is an opportunity for new member recruitment. Club members usually invite many friends. This year, we sent invitations to a group of Republican women super-voters in the Anchorage area, who are not yet members of ARWC. The SSL is one of our major fundraisers of the year. To augment this, we are adding a Silent Auction this year. We are looking forward to a successful event, organized expertly by Special Events chair, Ardy Pozzi.
Representative Anna Fairclough discusses the recent legislative session with Kris Showalter and Sandy Parnell. Rep. Fairclough spoke at the June ARWC meeting, sharing insights on the session as well as issues of domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska.
Capital City Republican Women - Connie McKenzie, President
CCRW is looking forward to our July 17th monthly membership luncheon at our new meeting location - the Prospector Hotel. Our speaker for July is CCRW
member Deb Morse, former high school principal who recently won the "Bong Hits for Jesus" Supreme Court case that was covered nationally. If anyone is
in town we'd love for you to join us to hear about Deb's experience at the highest level of our judicial system. On Saturday August 18th we are holding our annual themed table decorating luncheon - "Join the Party, the Grand Old Party". This is a fun event with competitive table decorating, a silent auction, and great time to introduce prospective new members.
Connie's dog Cedar celebrating the 4th of July in style in Juneau proudly
displaying his Republican credentials.
Fairbanks Republican Women - Marguerita Gilbertson, President
Due to a personal schedule that is very demanding, Jeannette James has resigned as our President and our First Vice, Marguerita Gilbertson stepped in to "hold the fort" until we meet in September. At that general membership meeting we will elect our president to finish the two year term. Many thanks to our acting President and those of us who know her well, recognize her organizational and communication skills.
The members of the club were busy on two functions recently that support our congressional delegation. We held a successful birthday party for Senator Murkowski and Marguerita, Mike Dalton, and Pat Fink showed Fairbanks how skilled the Republican Women truly are. We also held a fund raising luncheon for Senator Stevens that day and as his introduction stated "he is our warrior for the State of Alaska and every soldier's friend". It was financially very successful and although we often think our incumbents do not need money, they do and will for 2008!
We are looking forward to a positive Summer and early fall and are excited about Marguerita moving us forward to work in tandem with the AFRW and our national projects. We wish Jeannette much luck and affection because she has worked very hard as a Republican in private and public service. We will miss her active participation.
Midnight Sun Republican Women - Cathie Straub, President
The Midnight Sun RW Club's June meeting consisted of a shoe barbeque at the home of member Carol Sturgulewski. While we didn't actually bbq the shoes, we had a delightful meal and business meeting, then we packaged up the donated shoes for our new service project, Soles4Souls. Carol is the coordinator for this project and was amazed that we have already collected over 115 pairs of shoes, from high heels to hiking boots. Soles4Souls is a partner with Dress for Success that sends new or gently used shoes to people in need around the world. The shoes are now packaged into 6 boxes and ready to ship. We are planning on auctioning donated items at club meetings to raise the funds to pay for the shipping. Also at this meeting, our bylaws committee, chaired by Holly Kelty, presented draft changes to the bylaws for member comment. We hope to have our bylaws completed and ready to vote on at our August meeting. From there we will organize our Nominating Committee and proceed to vote in new officers at the September meeting with a Changing of the Guard event in October. Our fundraising committee, also chaired by Holly Kelty, presented two pages of new fundraising ideas for discussion. We have some exciting ideas and projects on the table and lots of fun ahead. Our next meeting is our annual summer family picnic to be held in August.
Sitka Republican Women - Karoline Beckeris, President
Sitka Republican Women applied as a club to be part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. We funded a display ad in the newspaper for Flag Day, the day before Flag
Day, as a reminder to people. Verbage included "Reminder brought to you by Sitka Republican Women". We forwarded the addresses of Sitka National Guardsmen to club members to write cards and notes for 4th of July. Our club will meet again in September.
Report on State Central Committee - from Rhonda Boyles
To concentrate on re-election activities of Republicans here in the Interior, I have resigned as Vice Chair of the Party. Cathy Giessel was elected as the new Vice Chair and not only is she competent and organized, she lives in Anchorage. We all know that we are facing a challenging year in 2008 and we are going to hold our Republican majorities in all areas, but that will not be done without unity and strength. Cathy will work very well with Randy in Anchorage, and she has an excellent relationship with the new Governor, not to mention accessibility to the office on a daily basis.
The District Conventions are to be held no earlier than February 5 and no later than February 13. There are specific rules that apply to these dates and every AFRW member should be engaged in their districts. The ARP State convention will be held March 13-15 in Anchorage and the National Convention will be held in Minneapolis September 1-4. If you want to be chosen as a delegate you must go through the entire process. Please call me if you have any questions about what district you live in or the name of your district chairman.
There are presently 116, 500 registered Republicans in Alaska and we have an advantage over the Democrats by 49, 291. Let's work at keeping that margin and increasing it!
The Alaska Republican Party will be providing some training on August 10 for upcoming elections. This is an important opportunity to come and learn voter vault and current campaign skills so that we can do what we are about… electing Republicans.
Last but not least, the process for the replacement of Representative Vic Kohring in District 14 has been lead by Steve Colligan and Cathy Giessel. It is more comprehensive than any used in prior processes, including applications, APOC forms, and interviews. Congratulations and compliments to both of these hard working Republicans on spending hours finding the best three to submit to the Governor for appointment.
Key Web Sites
Alaska Federation of Republican Women
http://www.akfrw.org
National Federation of Republican Women
http://www.nfrw.org/a>
Alaska Republican Party
http://www.alaskarepublicans.com/a>
Statewide Contacts
Alaska Federation of Republican Women
Paulette Simpson, President
(907) 770-6797 or (907) 364-3179
Email: paulettem@gci.net
Anchorage Republican Women
Cathy Giessel, President
(907) 345 5470
Email: cgiessel@mac.com
Capital City Republican Women (Juneau)
Connie McKenzie, President
(907) 790-3321
Email: connie-mitch@gci.net
Fairbanks Republican Women
Marguerita Gilbertson, President
(907) 456-1912
Email: mgilbertson@acsalaska.net
First City Republican Women (Ketchikan)
Sandra Meske, President
(907) 225-1060
Email: Sandrajm@kpunet.net
Kenai Peninsula Republican Women
Carol Brenckle, President
(907) 398-8228
Email: carol.brenckle@alaska.net
Mat-Su Republican Women
Alice Massie, President
(907) 376-5667
Email: abm_51@yahoo.com
Midnight Sun Republican Women
Cathie Straub, President
(907) 272-6622
Email: cathie@financialresourcesinc.com
Sitka Republican Women
Karoline Bekeris, President
(907) 747-5804
Email: kbekeris@hotmail.com
Paid for by Alaska Federation of Republican Women, 2504 Fairbanks St., Anchorage, AK 99503
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