Why can't life be simple; good or bad, black or white, right or wrong? Unfortunately, here on earth, nothing is so cut and dry, leaving us with only the understanding and hope that the concept of heaven encompasses this probability.
Last Saturday we encountered one of these questionable events and we are still mulling as to whether the result was positive or negative. We are referring to the resignation of the Berkeley County Republican Party Chairman, Tim Callanan.
On the one hand, we agree that every effort should be made to install State Senator, Larry Grooms into the open 1st Congressional District seat. Larry is the best choice by far. Larry has a consistent Conservative record so we can anticipate that he will maintain Senator Scott's policies. Now that Councilman Callanan's expertise has been added to the campaign, Senator Groom's odds of winning have gone up exponentially. This is a very good thing for Berkeley County.
But, on the other hand, by adding to the possibility of a win for the Groom's campaign, we have to endure a huge loss to the Berkeley County Republican Party and the Executive Committee. Since the Rules dictate that the Chairman cannot endorse or exclusively work for one candidate over another during a contested primary, Chairman Callanan was compelled to resign his Chairmanship.
Four years ago, when Chairman Callanan was elected Chairman for the first time, Berkeley County had a broken, dysfunctional GOP organization. Decades of ineffective leadership had resulted in low membership and an organization that garnered little to no respect from other counties or the state leadership. After only two terms in office, Chairman Callanan had elevated the BCRP to heights never dreamed of by Conservatives in BC.
The BCRP now follows actual Rules and Ethics Standards. The finances of the Party are now at levels never before seen. There is now a finance committee to oversee the process. Membership and active participation are now at an all time high. Any citizen of BC is now welcome to join and participate. The BCRP organization is now acknowledged by the higher-ups to be a dependable cog in the GOP wheel.
Admittedly, Chairman Callanan had a lot of help accomplishing the improvements realized by the BCRP in the last four years, but, had it not been for the expert leadership of the Chairman, it is doubtful that the change would have been as profoundly positive as it has been. Chairman Callanan has devoted countless hours to the Party and should be given the lion's share of the credit for the well oiled machine we enjoy today.
This is the crux of the dilemma we are experiencing. The Grooms campaign's gain is the BCRP's loss. We can only hope that Councilman Callanan will still have the time to actively participate in our Reorganization and Convention process, if not as Chairman, at least as an individual. Maybe if we all help Tim's efforts by doing what we do best and get out there and get Larry elected, Tim will find it possible to return the favor.
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As one who witnessed the dysfunctional operation of the party under the former Chairman before becoming a member of the Executive Committee, your comments regarding Tim's leadership are well deserved! No doubt he will enhance Sentor Grooms' campaign!
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