This local political cycle in Tulsa, Republican Party controversy has built from a contentious 2021 convention and is now playing out on social media, by text, mail, and email ahead of the upcoming March 25 Convention. This week, former-Chair Mike Ford is calling for a County Committee meeting prior to the Convention to adjudicate issues.
Good Morning Tulsa County Delegates. I am William Westfall, Precinct 114 Chair and currently a volunteer on the Credentials Committee. I have served on the Credentials Committee for about 20 years so I am not a newbie. Back in February the Tulsa County GOP sent an email about the upcoming County Convention and gave a list of the Committees and their Chairs. Here is the list emailed on 03-13-23:
Our Committee Facilitators are:
Rules: Bob Jack
Platform: Susan Phillips and Peggy Burgess
Credentials: Donny Tiemann and Ronda Vuillemont-Smith (OKGOP Credentials Chair).
I began discussions with our current GOP Chair Ronda Vuillemont-Smith about her being on the Credentials Committee as this is a Conflict of Interest since she is running for the position of Tulsa County GOP Chair again. I received no reply from Chair Smith. After many emails Bob Jack did reply and said he believed Ronda was not on the Credentials Committee as that would be a Conflict of Interest. I said then the County GOP needs to send out a corrected email where Ronda's name is not listed as on the Credentials Committee. Again I got no reply and no corrective email was sent.
This last Saturday, 03-18-23 we had our first Credentials Committee Meeting. At this first Credentials Committee Meeting we had Credentials Committee Chair - Donny Tiemann, Charity Marcus, Ronda Smith and we had about 4 other volunteers. Jenifer may have been there as some people left shortly after I arrived. I asked Terry Flattem earlier in the week who vetted the Delegates for the Convention. Terry said as far as he knows Ronda and Charity vetted the Delegates. I asked again at the Meeting and was told that Ronda and Jenifer vetted the Delegates. I stated this is a Conflict of Interest since you, Ronda are running for the Tulsa County GOP Chair Office again. No reply was given by Ronda. Many years ago the Credentials Committee Chair and Volunteers vetted all the Conventions Delegates who signed up to attend the Convention. Over the years it has shifted from the Credentials Committee as a whole to a few on the Credentials Committee and now no one on the Credentials Committee is vetting any of the Delegates who signed up to attend the Convention. We need to return to only the Credentials Committed doing the vetting. Ronda did let me know that the County Chair is always considered a part of every Committee that the Chair oversees.
This brings us to the current issue. The emails being sent out about the Delegate Registration specifically state that the Delegates MUST Pre-Register AND Pre-Pay to be a part of the County Convention. I checked the OKGOP State Rules and there is NOTHING that requires any Delegate to Pre-Register and Pre-Pay.
Here is a portion of Rule 3a: (a) Members: All citizens of Oklahoma are invited to join the Oklahoma Republican Party to perpetuate this Republic. All qualified voters of this state who are registered Republicans are members of the Oklahoma Republican Party, and shall have the right to participate in the official affairs and governance of the Republican Party in accordance with these rules as set forth herein. Underlining by me.
As far as the OKGOP Rules state you don't have to even Pay to attend any of the Official Affairs of the Oklahoma Republican Party. I emailed an inquiry to the County Chair and others on the County Committee asking where in the OKGOP Rules it states any Delegate has to Pre-Register and Pre-Pay to participate in the County or State Conventions. Again no reply from Ronda or any other member at the Tulsa GOP HQ. This Rule of Pre-Register and Pre-Pay was proposed by Ronda to the Tulsa County Executive Committee and the State Committee. It was unanimously approved by the County Executive Committee and passed by a majority of the State Committee. The only problem is neither Committee has the right to make any Rule that has not been approved by the Qualified Delegates at the County and State Conventions. So this unapproved Rule is being applied before the County Convention has even begun. This is out of order, putting the cart before the horse. Ronda is so bent on having this Software Supplier provide for the Registration and Payment Processing for this County Convention that she is disregarding the OKGOP State Rules. Ronda's influence has reached up to the State Committee and perhaps the State Chair as they will adopt this Pre-Registration AND Pre-Pay format so any Delegate who arrives on the Convention Day and HAS NOT Pre-Registered AND Pre-Paid will NOT be allowed to attend and participate in the Convention. This is totally against Rule 3a and other Rules in the OKGOP State Rules.
In the 2023 Proposed Rules for the County Convention as listed on the Tulsa GOP website it states:
II. PERMANENT ROLL
Pre-registered Delegates to the Convention must sign in for the Convention from 7:30 am until 9:00 am, Saturday 25 March 2023. The Credentials Committee report as adopted by the convention shall be conclusive of every such issue and shall constitute the Permanent Roll of this Convention.
The Pre-Registered provision is in these Proposed Rules and are NOT in the existing Rules from 2021 that we are still operating under. Any Qualified Delegate who HAS NOT Pre-Registered AND Pre-Paid before the Convention Date will NOT be allowed to attend or participate in the "official affairs and governance of the Republican Party" which is against our existing Rules. There is NO PROVISION made for Same Day Registration and Payments. We will have no ability to process any Payment or Register ANY Qualified Delegate who is not Pre-Registered and Pre-Paid. I have asked about this repeatedly and was told by Ronda at the Credentials Committee Meeting they, Donny and Ronda have no intention of allowing any Qualified Delegate into the Convention unless they already Pre-Registered and Pre-Paid.
Ronda told us that the Appeals Committee will NOT be allowed to give access of any Qualified Delegate who does not comply with the Pre-Registered and Pre-Pay Rule. No matter what the reason may be. Why even have an Appeals Committee if NO ONE will be allowed to attend and participate who have not Pre-Registered and Pre-Paid? There is an option on the Registration Website to not Pre-Pay but you still have to go to the County GOP HQ and pay there before 5:00 PM Thursday 03-23-23.
This is the first time we are NOT allowing Qualified Delegates to Register and Pay on the Day of the Convention. We did use Eventbrite Software before and allowed Delegates to Pre-Register and Pre-Pay if they wanted to but it was never MANDATORY COMPLIANCE to be able to participate at the County Convention. This is a Pre-Register and Pre-Pay or NO-PLAY Rule that is not even officially adopted by the Delegates. My recommendation is to call, email or go by the Tulsa Ok GOP HQ and complain because some Qualified Delegates will not be allowed to attend the Convention just because they did not Pre-Register and Pre-Pay. Only the input of the Qualified Delegates will make this change. ALSO I recommend DO NOT approve these Proposed Rules at the Convention. If you do we are stuck with this format until it gets voted out. They intend to introduce this Rule at the State Convention also. They will say "Tulsa County allowed this so we are going to allow this at the State Convention!" Even though it is NOT an Official Rule of the OKGOP Party at this time. No Rule Change is Official unless if is approved at the State Convention, not any County Convention. Nothing is Official unless the Delegates Vote to approve it!
Good Morning Tulsa County Delegates. I am William Westfall, Precinct 114 Chair and currently a volunteer on the Credentials Committee. I have served on the Credentials Committee for about 20 years so I am not a newbie. Back in February the Tulsa County GOP sent an email about the upcoming County Convention and gave a list of the Committees and their Chairs. Here is the list emailed on 03-13-23:
Our Committee Facilitators are:
Rules: Bob Jack
Platform: Susan Phillips and Peggy Burgess
Credentials: Donny Tiemann and Ronda Vuillemont-Smith (OKGOP Credentials Chair).
I began discussions with our current GOP Chair Ronda Vuillemont-Smith about her being on the Credentials Committee as this is a Conflict of Interest since she is running for the position of Tulsa County GOP Chair again. I received no reply from Chair Smith. After many emails Bob Jack did reply and said he believed Ronda was not on the Credentials Committee as that would be a Conflict of Interest. I said then the County GOP needs to send out a corrected email where Ronda's name is not listed as on the Credentials Committee. Again I got no reply and no corrective email was sent.
This last Saturday, 03-18-23 we had our first Credentials Committee Meeting. At this first Credentials Committee Meeting we had Credentials Committee Chair - Donny Tiemann, Charity Marcus, Ronda Smith and we had about 4 other volunteers. Jenifer may have been there as some people left shortly after I arrived. I asked Terry Flattem earlier in the week who vetted the Delegates for the Convention. Terry said as far as he knows Ronda and Charity vetted the Delegates. I asked again at the Meeting and was told that Ronda and Jenifer vetted the Delegates. I stated this is a Conflict of Interest since you, Ronda are running for the Tulsa County GOP Chair Office again. No reply was given by Ronda. Many years ago the Credentials Committee Chair and Volunteers vetted all the Conventions Delegates who signed up to attend the Convention. Over the years it has shifted from the Credentials Committee as a whole to a few on the Credentials Committee and now no one on the Credentials Committee is vetting any of the Delegates who signed up to attend the Convention. We need to return to only the Credentials Committed doing the vetting. Ronda did let me know that the County Chair is always considered a part of every Committee that the Chair oversees.
This brings us to the current issue. The emails being sent out about the Delegate Registration specifically state that the Delegates MUST Pre-Register AND Pre-Pay to be a part of the County Convention. I checked the OKGOP State Rules and there is NOTHING that requires any Delegate to Pre-Register and Pre-Pay.
Here is a portion of Rule 3a: (a) Members: All citizens of Oklahoma are invited to join the Oklahoma Republican Party to perpetuate this Republic. All qualified voters of this state who are registered Republicans are members of the Oklahoma Republican Party, and shall have the right to participate in the official affairs and governance of the Republican Party in accordance with these rules as set forth herein. Underlining by me.
As far as the OKGOP Rules state you don't have to even Pay to attend any of the Official Affairs of the Oklahoma Republican Party. I emailed an inquiry to the County Chair and others on the County Committee asking where in the OKGOP Rules it states any Delegate has to Pre-Register and Pre-Pay to participate in the County or State Conventions. Again no reply from Ronda or any other member at the Tulsa GOP HQ. This Rule of Pre-Register and Pre-Pay was proposed by Ronda to the Tulsa County Executive Committee and the State Committee. It was unanimously approved by the County Executive Committee and passed by a majority of the State Committee. The only problem is neither Committee has the right to make any Rule that has not been approved by the Qualified Delegates at the County and State Conventions. So this unapproved Rule is being applied before the County Convention has even begun. This is out of order, putting the cart before the horse. Ronda is so bent on having this Software Supplier provide for the Registration and Payment Processing for this County Convention that she is disregarding the OKGOP State Rules. Ronda's influence has reached up to the State Committee and perhaps the State Chair as they will adopt this Pre-Registration AND Pre-Pay format so any Delegate who arrives on the Convention Day and HAS NOT Pre-Registered AND Pre-Paid will NOT be allowed to attend and participate in the Convention. This is totally against Rule 3a and other Rules in the OKGOP State Rules.
In the 2023 Proposed Rules for the County Convention as listed on the Tulsa GOP website it states:
II. PERMANENT ROLL
Pre-registered Delegates to the Convention must sign in for the Convention from 7:30 am until 9:00 am, Saturday 25 March 2023. The Credentials Committee report as adopted by the convention shall be conclusive of every such issue and shall constitute the Permanent Roll of this Convention.
The Pre-Registered provision is in these Proposed Rules and are NOT in the existing Rules from 2021 that we are still operating under. Any Qualified Delegate who HAS NOT Pre-Registered AND Pre-Paid before the Convention Date will NOT be allowed to attend or participate in the "official affairs and governance of the Republican Party" which is against our existing Rules. There is NO PROVISION made for Same Day Registration and Payments. We will have no ability to process any Payment or Register ANY Qualified Delegate who is not Pre-Registered and Pre-Paid. I have asked about this repeatedly and was told by Ronda at the Credentials Committee Meeting they, Donny and Ronda have no intention of allowing any Qualified Delegate into the Convention unless they already Pre-Registered and Pre-Paid.
Ronda told us that the Appeals Committee will NOT be allowed to give access of any Qualified Delegate who does not comply with the Pre-Registered and Pre-Pay Rule. No matter what the reason may be. Why even have an Appeals Committee if NO ONE will be allowed to attend and participate who have not Pre-Registered and Pre-Paid? There is an option on the Registration Website to not Pre-Pay but you still have to go to the County GOP HQ and pay there before 5:00 PM Thursday 03-23-23.
This is the first time we are NOT allowing Qualified Delegates to Register and Pay on the Day of the Convention. We did use Eventbrite Software before and allowed Delegates to Pre-Register and Pre-Pay if they wanted to but it was never MANDATORY COMPLIANCE to be able to participate at the County Convention. This is a Pre-Register and Pre-Pay or NO-PLAY Rule that is not even officially adopted by the Delegates. My recommendation is to call, email or go by the Tulsa Ok GOP HQ and complain because some Qualified Delegates will not be allowed to attend the Convention just because they did not Pre-Register and Pre-Pay. Only the input of the Qualified Delegates will make this change. ALSO I recommend DO NOT approve these Proposed Rules at the Convention. If you do we are stuck with this format until it gets voted out. They intend to introduce this Rule at the State Convention also. They will say "Tulsa County allowed this so we are going to allow this at the State Convention!" Even though it is NOT an Official Rule of the OKGOP Party at this time. No Rule Change is Official unless if is approved at the State Convention, not any County Convention. Nothing is Official unless the Delegates Vote to approve it!