Hermanson will lead county Republicans

Earlier this month Pinal County Republicans met to elect a new executive committee, individuals who will lead the party during the next two years.

Maricopa Republican Club President Marty Hermanson was elected the new chairman of the Pinal County Republican Committee. Assisting Hermanson as first vice chairman will be Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Timothy Lee, who was re-elected to the position. T.J. Shope, a new Coolidge school board member, was elected second vice chairman. Johnson Ranch resident and retired veteran Paul Messinger was re-elected as the Pinal GOP secretary, and Gold Canyon area resident Tami Tack was elected treasurer.

Other elected executive board members include Jim Holman, a retired military Saddle Brooke resident, Western Pinal Republican Club board member Shaun Root and Tack, who is also committee treasurer. Holman, Root and Tack will serve as GOP district chairmen. Long-time political activist and Casa Grande business owner Bill Bridwell will be the legislative District #23 GOP caucus chairman.

On Saturday, Jan. 24, delegates from all 15 Arizona counties will convene in Phoenix to elect state officers, including the chairman for the Arizona Republican Party. Pinal County will have a delegation of 33 Republicans that weekend.

Casa Grande residents Sharon Giese and Bridwell hold elected Arizona Republican Party offices, but their terms are not up for election at this time. Current State Treasurer Timothy Lee is running for another two-year term but is unopposed.

“We will build up our party to be well organized, bigger and better, and will have strong candidates for the upcoming 2010 elections,” incoming Pinal County chairman Marty Hermanson said. “We are at a moment in time where we can have positive changes to the party by getting more young people involved, becoming larger with more precinct committeemen working hard to register more Republicans, raise monies, recruit, train, and develop candidates for office and get back to basics by communicating Republican values.”

Pinal Republicans feel the new, energized leadership will move the party’s platform forward and provide some significant changes for the better. “We have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time,” Hermanson said. “We will have specific and strategic plans in place by early February to move our Republican Party forward.”

File photo