Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Gerry Parsky: The Ruin of California and Bill Simon? (With friends like this...)
Letter from Shawn Steel, CRP Chairman | June 12th, 2002 | Shawn Steel

Posted on 06/25/2002 11:34:14 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP

June 12, 2002

Mr. Gerald L. Parsky
Chairman, Team California
10877 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2100
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Dear Gerry,

With the greatest urgency, I am writing to express my concern over the seeming lack of interest by Team Cal in supporting the Cal Plan approved unanimously May 3, 2002 by the CRP Board of Directors. You voted for the plan and expressed your strong support for its components.

The Party’s problem is that all funds from appearances by Bush Administration officials go into the Team Cal account. You therefore have control over all the California Republican Party’s discretionary funds. Yet you keep turning CRP staff down when they ask you for funds to support approved budget items.

For example, on the June 3rd Operations Committee conference call, you were asked on behalf of Team Cal to contribute somewhat less than $100,000 to enhance our voter file, $25,000 for a desperately needed new CRP computer system, and computer support staff costs of $12,000. You said no to these expenditures. I think you owe the Board of Directors an explanation.

You said further that there are no plans to convene a Team Cal meeting to discuss what the organization will do to fund Cal Plan program needs. You said you had ‘no plan to expend funds’ except for Registration Bounty.

Gerry, there are only 143 days left until the general election. If you are serious about electing Bill Simon, please call a Team Cal meeting and decide which elements of the Cal Plan the group will support. As of today, Team Cal has $787,182 in its account. The rest of the California Republican Party has $60,720 to fund everything except Registration Bounty. Our reformed CRP By-laws state that Team Cal as a group, not any one individual, will decide how their funds are spent. Any money left in the Team Cal bank account on November 6 is money wasted and opportunity lost.

You have told us repeatedly the past fifteen months that the CRP would get fundraising visits from Cabinet officers. None have appeared except Secretary of Agriculture Veneman at our February convention. If these visits are not scheduled within the next month, we will be unable to maximize their financial potential. Three to six well-planned events could raise several million dollars for the Team Cal bank account.

I pledge that I will support Team Cal’s decision on which Cal Plan program elements to support. We all united on the Cal Plan. Now, let’s unite on making it work. The time for action is now. Soon it will be too late to make a real difference.

Sincerely,

Shawn Steel

Shawn Steel
Chairman

cc: Board of Directors


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: billsimon; calgov2002; californiapolitics; geraldlparsky; shawnsteel
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-58 last
To: Poohbah
The bag of money Parsky holds has been irrelevant throughout CA GOP history precisely because of the dueling prima donnas like Parsky and Steel.

Have you met Shawn Steel?
Talked to him one on one?

I have.

I didn't get the impression of a prima donna.
Steel clawed his way off the bottom, and I've been there.
From what I can tell the man is genuine.

41 posted on 06/25/2002 10:57:02 PM PDT by Carry_Okie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: justanotherfreeper
Yes, I have all the Parsky Watch newsletters (VERY interesting stuff), but I'm wondering if it's too much to post, it might take two threads.

If you freepmail me your e-mail address, I can forward them to you, too. I have no idea how I got subscribed to their list, and when I tried to write an e-mail to them it bounced back.
42 posted on 06/26/2002 2:14:02 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Poohbah
Normally, but these are not normal situations. Why try to make peace with someone making a conscious effort to wreck the Party?
43 posted on 06/26/2002 2:15:40 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
I bet those "top California Republican officials" include names like Gerry Parsky, Brooks Firestone and Bob Larkin.
44 posted on 06/26/2002 2:17:37 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Liz
He's orchestrating the party back to its losing days.

And that ain't a long journey.

45 posted on 06/26/2002 2:18:52 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Roscoe
What money is raised goes into accounts controlled by Gerry Parsky and (according to the bylaws) the Team Cal committee he chairs and refuses to call meetings for.
46 posted on 06/26/2002 2:20:47 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Common Tator
Then just WHAT is it that Bush has ordered Parsky to do?

The SOLE task of the CRP this year is to get Republicans elected to the Assembly and Senate, elected to statewide constituational offices, and to the U.S. House of Representatives. I will gladly be the first to say that if Bush is having Parsky hang on to all cash he raises in CA for his 2004 re-election, then he is wrong.

But I don't think that's the case. I think that Bush has little if any idea what Parsky and Rove are doing here. I don't think the President is aware that his trusted friend and point man is wrecking the Party, heart and soul, and will virtually LOCK this state for ANY Democrat nominee for President in 2004.

Intentionally or not, ignoring the Simon campaign will help do that. Yes, I agree Simon really needs to get his own fundraising operation into high gear or start writing his campaign some checks. But the Party's role is not that of a mere bystander. For it to aid Simon and DOZENS of other hard working candidates this year, Parsky needs to start cutting checks.
47 posted on 06/26/2002 2:29:53 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
When Parsky started off here, he was chairman of the Bush campaign in California. His ONLY job was to get the Bush-Cheney ticket California's 54 electoral votes (and a swell job he did there).

When he took on the job of being a member of the CRP Board of Directors and chairing the Team Cal Committee, his job became to elect ALL Republicans, including Bill Simon, regardless of if he likes him or not.
48 posted on 06/26/2002 2:33:41 AM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: StoneColdGOP
The SOLE task of the CRP this year is to get Republicans elected to the Assembly and Senate, elected to statewide constituational offices, and to the U.S. House of Representatives.

They haven't lived up to that task in years.

49 posted on 06/26/2002 2:36:16 AM PDT by Roscoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: Carry_Okie
I have heard Shawn Steel on KSFO 560 HotTalk Radio a few times. Yes, He sounds genuine .. doesn't have a hint of RINO in him, IMHO ..

California Power Politics Is an exclusionary sport for many, much like Polo.

If ya ain't got the horses and the reins, It's awful hard to win!.

I just saw the newest SiMon ad, IT IS a Hoot!!!

Go SIMON
50 posted on 06/26/2002 8:19:14 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: StoneColdGOP; Common Tator; Poohbah; Roscoe
It's obvious to me that something is not right in California.

Rather than just sitting here and arguing, why not find a solution here? It looks like we have egos getting in the way of the important job there, which is Dumping Davis.

It looks as if Steel and Parsky are BOTH causing part of the problems. And it would not hurt for Simon to at least toss in a check and try to do some more work (although one can argue that Simon is simply allowing Davis to self-destruct and is wisely staying out of the way).

Is this asking too much?
51 posted on 06/26/2002 8:29:13 AM PDT by hchutch
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: justanotherfreeper
Parsky may be a great fundraiser, but a smart pol would have figured out a way to work with conservatives.

That's an impossibiity, if "conservatives" as self-defined here on Free Repbublic are any example.

52 posted on 06/26/2002 8:54:51 AM PDT by ArneFufkin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: hchutch
From what I'm hearing, the Simon strategy right now is to allow Davus to spend money on TV ads in JUNE that people will (hopefully) forget by November.
53 posted on 06/26/2002 4:41:45 PM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: StoneColdGOP
Is it bad form to resurrect a previous discussion? Just found this thread.

I've got to say I wish the sniveling, in-fighting, self-important do-nothing "Captain" wanna-be's would realize they've been on the TITANIC for the last 10 years. Maybe a little bit of humility would help them get our friggin' message out....or at least find someone who can.

54 posted on 06/28/2002 9:36:31 AM PDT by Mediaqueen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StoneColdGOP
Did you send this to Jill Kay(Vice Chair of the Simon campaign in L.A. Co.). When I asked her about Parsky she acted like there is nothing wrong!
55 posted on 07/02/2002 10:05:56 PM PDT by gc4nra
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Mediaqueen
Not bad form at all!
56 posted on 07/03/2002 1:15:48 PM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: gc4nra
No, I didn't bring it up to her. For one, she's in a volunteer position and I didn't think she'd know much about it.

Also, I talked to Steve Frank (one of the guys running the campaign) and he said that right now, their entire focus is on getting Simon elected, and that they will ignore (publicly) the question of Parsky, for the image of public unity.
57 posted on 07/03/2002 1:19:31 PM PDT by StoneColdGOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: StoneColdGOP
"their entire focus is on getting Simon elected, and that they will ignore (publicly) the question of Parsky, for the image of public unity."

This is esentially what she said, but I don't understand how they can ignore the guy who controls the purse strings!

58 posted on 07/03/2002 8:52:32 PM PDT by gc4nra
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-58 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson