Warren County Report

Prior to the Nov. 6 election, Committee Chairman Bridget Madden issued an internal e-mail calling for a post-election committee meeting to deal with what she alleged were violations of committee rules by a sitting member of the Republican Committee Executive Board. While never named, Committee Vice Chairman Sayre was identified as the member in question by several committee members. Madden refused comment. The rule in question was public support of candidates opposing Republican candidates for office.

Sayre has steadfastly denied any rules violations. He says he has an affidavit to support his case with the committee and has questioned the motive of what he called a campaign of innuendo against him. However, rather than air the committee’s dirty laundry publicly, Sayre chose to resign.

“Unfortunately this whole affair has been based on nothing but innuendo and rumor, not facts. I am concerned about the presidential campaign coming up,” Sayre told Warren County Report. He added that Republicans should be focused on unity rather than internal bickering as national elections approach.

“The lack of evidence speaks for itself. Those involved in repeating rumors know their own motivations,” Sayre said. “The present chairwoman was not even willing to speak with me or offer any proof of any nature. Any time someone has been willing to go on the record in the press, they know absolutely nothing wrong I have done and then say that they think others are the problem, without naming who the ‘others’ are.”

A Republican Committee meeting called by a petition of the committee membership for Dec. 20 has been cancelled at Madden’s request in the wake of Sayre’s resignation from the committee.

While committee member and Shenandoah District Supervisor Richard Traczyk sees deeper internal issue than the allegations against Sayre, he agreed with the decision to cancel the Dec. 20 meeting – “It is time to move on,” Traczyk said. “However, I don’t feel Tom is the only problem, assuming he is guilty of the accusations. Several of us feel others in the Committee supported non-Republican candidates as well but stayed under the radar screen.

“I feel the whole Party needs to refocus. We have Republicans dropping out of the Party to run as Independents, we have members dropping out of the Party to support a non Republican, we have the ‘weekend’ Republicans that join just before elections, get Republican support and after the election are never heard from again.

“It seems to me that running for office today is about getting elected and not about Party principles. It seems to be about personal agendas and self-interest and doing what ever it takes to get elected. I guess I am idealistic about working for the people of this county, I hold principles of the Party in high regard,” Traczyk said.

While county political committee members, both Republican and Democratic, are not asked to sacrifice their Constitutional right to support whomever they want and vote their conscience in elections, their “voluntary” membership in local political action committees is cited as a commitment to abide by committee rules. Among those rules is unequivocal support of Party nominees regardless of any philosophical differences.

In another internal committee e-mail, Madden praised members who resign to support non-Party candidates rather than maintain their membership while supporting opposition candidates.

Madden has also refused comment on the source of the recent allegation against Sayre. But sources close to the committee say Sayre was targeted in the wake of a citizen’s visit to Maddens’ South Royal Avenue law office, which also serves a committee headquarters. Purportedly, a woman requested a campaign sign of Democratic North River District candidate Glenn White, along with several Republican campaign signs. Sayre was supposedly identified as the source of negative information about White’s opponent, Republican Ron Llewellyn by the visitor. It is believed to be that visitor Sayre has the aforementioned affidavit from.

The allegation Sayre was seeking a non-Party opponent to run against Llewellyn led to a public confrontation between the two outside a committee meeting early this summer. Despite their Party affiliation, Sayre and Llewellyn have very divergent perspectives on a number of issues – hey, they say politics makes for strange bedfellows. But despite their past political and personal differences, Llewellyn is among those committee members left wondering if Sayre hasn’t been singled out for selective enforcement of Committee rules.