By Ronnie Lewis
We got the keys! And we immediately opened the headquarters up to the voters Tuesday evening. High energy and positive vibes! The room was full of new faces along with past precinct chairs and former volunteers excited to be a party of this new Ector County Republican Party.
It was great to see true leaders of the Republican Party back in the headquarters where they belong. We were honored to welcome all that dropped by to celebrate with us. Lots of talk about how we can make excellent use of the headquarters, excitement about upcoming local elections and the importance of keeping Texas red!
And the “in for $10” campaign was a huge hit at the Open House! I would like to thank all those that have contributed! And a shoutout to Jesse Christesson (Precinct Chair 103, a member of Tisha Crow’s executive board) who donated $10 and engaged with me about the needed repairs. I look forward to working with him.
That being said, it was rather awkward when squad members Mayor Javier Joven and councilmembers Mark Matta and Denise Swanner made an appearance especially knowing they ran as a voting block and pitted Republicans against Republicans.
Their willingness to use fake profiles Josiah Vargas and Finnigan Lane to attack and bully opponents was my inspiration to get involved. After talking with voters for the last several years, campaigning at the Elegante from sun up to sun down during early voting, I assure you I am not alone. Keep in mind Joven, Swanner and Matta endorsed and supported all 16 candidates that lost their campaigns. Voters want change at City Hall.
The “in for $10” was my daughter’s idea when she realized the ECRP was lacking funds. The goal was to get 1000 people to donate $10. And it’s working. She has raised over half of her goal in just two weeks! The donations are overwhelmingly coming from first time donors in tens and twenties.
The money my daughter is raising is strictly for maintaining the ECRP headquarters. Once we got the keys, we realized there are some plumbing issues along with air conditioning and insulation issues. If you would like to help out, please call or text at 432-257-9235 or mail check payable to the ECRP to 2517 Palo Verde 79762. I can text you the Venmo QR code. Venmo code can also be found on my personal Facebook page or on Ector County Politics. If you have donated via a check, those haven’t been deposited yet. As soon as Donna Kelm receives everything needed from Tisha Crow and Jeff Russell we will get checks deposited. We are hesitant to deposit until there has been a complete transfer of power. We will gladly come to your work or your house to pick up your $10 donation.
“In for ten” has been a great way to meet with voters one on one and listen to their concerns. “Change” is what we hear over and over. Voters are really tuned in to local politics. We get comments regarding the hiring of John Beckmeyer, the mean spirited attacks on anything related to downtown, and especially the late entry into our water repairs to name a few.
As the summer heats up so will the local political scene. Stay tuned.
Ronnie Lewis is a longtime Odessa businessman and founder of Dos Amigos. He is also an Ector County GOP precinct chair.
