Joel Mattila elected as new chair of Clark County Republican Party, replacing Earl Bowerman
Over the weekend, the precinct committee officers (PCOs) of the Clark County Republican Party elected six new officers to represent them for the next two years.
The following officers were elected: Joel Mattila as chair, Kathy McDonald as vice chair, Kelli Fiskum as secretary, Greg Cheney as treasurer, Jenn Duval as state committeewoman, and Dick Rylander as state committeeman.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the party held an online Zoom meeting where nomination speeches were made. Once the formal speeches were over, the meeting continued, allowing PCOs to ask questions of candidates and their responses.
Voting took place in-person on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the Clark County GOP headquarters. Each PCO showed their ID and signed in, and then was given a ballot. Numerous others observed the process. These procedures included additional precautions and procedures due to pandemic concerns.
Joel Mattila, Chair Kathy Mcdonald, Vice Chair Kelli Fiskum, Secretary Greg Cheney, Treasurer Jenn Duvall, State Committeewoman Dick Rylander, State Committeeman
Normally, the PCO’s would have met and in addition to voting for new officers, they would have adopted a new set of bylaws for the next two years. There was no practical way to discuss and amend bylaws in the online meeting. That discussion and bylaw adoption will take place at a future date.
The outgoing leadership tackled numerous issues, including trying to run the party during the pandemic. But foremost among those was paying off a significant PDC fine levied against the party.
In a Nov. 20 communication to PCO’s, the outgoing leadership shared the following.
“The Executive Board tackled the fine levied against the Clark County Republican Central Committee. Failure to tackle that debt reaching back over a five-year period would have handcuffed the current Central Committee and any future Central Committees. It would have made it next to impossible to fulfill our mission of electing Republicans.
“Thankfully, due to the leadership of most of the Clark County Republican Party executive board and so many sacrificial and dedicated volunteers the debt has been paid in full. Because this obligation was dispatched in just a year and a half, along with record setting fundraising efforts the future of the CCRCC is financially secure.”
Incoming Chair Joel Mattila shared the following statement.
“I am honored and humbled to be elected as Chairman by the Precinct Committee Officers of the Clark County Republican Party (CCRP). One of my campaign promises was to work with my team toward unity in the CCRP, and based on the election results, it is clear that is what the members wish for. I hope to work with all members of the party, both those who voted for me and those who did not, and invite everyone to reach out to me with their suggestions and ideas. Together, we will work toward building a large coalition party that will be a winning force in Clark County politics, electing Republicans now and into the future.”
Outside the party headquarters, volunteers were collecting signatures for the Fireworks referendum. They hope to put the referendum on the ballot next fall. You can read Clark County Today’s previous story here.
