Dissension in the ranks of the Wake GOP?

A new rules and a club "code of conduct" introduced by new chairman

There appears to be dissension in the ranks of the clubs affiliated with the Wake Republican Party.

The Wake GOP is a volunteer-driven organization, relying on other area clubs for a pipeline of support from poll workers to door knockers and more. Over the years, these clubs have successfully worked together, yet the new proposals seem to be aimed at dismantling that work rather than improving upon it.

In an email on May 16, the day before its next meeting, the new Wake GOP Chairman Steve Bergstrom informed members of a new “club criteria” and “code of conduct.”

Bergstrom and others ran on a slate called “Unite Wake.”

The new criteria for a club to remain in good standing says a club must maintain 75 active (dues-paying) members in good standing in order to remain an affiliate of the Wake GOP. This rule, in essence, would hinder most affiliate clubs from having a seat on the executive committee.

“Party members' responsibilities apply to our personal conduct as well as conduct in communications, including electronic means, and with the media in all its forms,” the new code of conduct reads.

The first line item in the “code of conduct” includes for the Executive Committee to determine if “What a person is intending to do, say, or write (in any format) is considered damaging to the Republican Party or its officers and leaders.”

The new “code of conduct” also calls for a “Special Council” to determine “if an issued is worthy of disciplinary action.” Such disciplinary action can include removal from a position within the Wake GOP.

Following the meeting, at least one club announced it was not going to go along with Bergstrom’s new rules.

“Therefore, in solidarity with all the hard-working Republicans involved with clubs who may not meet the criteria, and in opposition to tyranny, the East Wake Republican Club hereby withdraws its affiliation with the Wake GOP,” wrote East Wake GOP’s President Duane Cutlip in an email.

Cutlip’s email, titled, “Our Declaration of Independence from Tyranny,” described events that transpired at the May 17 Wake GOP meeting.

Here’s the section from Cutlip’s email on the new criteria for clubs:

Of the “code of conduct,” Cutlip wrote it is “purely Orwellian.”

The departure of the East Wake GOP leaves a very large hole that Bergstrom will be hard-pressed to fill, especially with a presidential election year ahead.