The Elly Report: State Committee

The Town & Ward Committees Chairman's Responsibilities

The Chairmen of Republican Town & Ward Committees tend to take on too much of the work and responsibility of the committee. It is often the Chairmen who raise the money, recruit the candidates, communicate with the press, recruit new committee members, schedule and run meetings, and whatever else comes up. While it is often the easiest solution to just do what needs to be done, taking all the work on yourself can cause several problems for the development of your committee.

By not delegating responsibility, committee members will eventually perceive all duties and work as the Chairmen's duties. Without getting involved in the committees' activities, members will not gain any experience in a particular area of politics and therefore cannot be counted on to take on these tasks. And before long, Chairmen become frustrated, burnt out, and in some cases step down, leaving the committee without leadership and political experience.

The key to running a successful committee is to play your role as committee chairmen and to manage your membership in a way that will be most effective for the progress of the Party in your town. In a few weeks I'll talk about organizing your membership into subcommittees but let's start with understanding your role as Chairman.

Republican Town Chairmen are responsible for the overall success of the Republican Party in their town. Chairmen should think of themselves not only as the elected presiding officers of their committees, but also as the leader of your community's Republican Party.

Chairmen are responsible for setting the strategic direction for the local Party. A good Chairman will utilize all resources at his/her disposal to carry out that vision. This includes:

Being an Effective Presiding Officer
The core responsibilities of each Town Chairman are to set the agenda and preside over Committee meetings. Chairmen should be organized, be able to hold the attention of Committee members, and keep meetings short and focused on the agenda. Chairman should always be on guard against allowing the Committee to drift into areas outside its core responsibilities. It's easy to become distracted from the agenda -- make sure that every single activity the Committee undertakes plays a role in reaching your stated Committee goals. Running an effective meeting is the first step towards keeping the membership engaged and involved with the Committee.

Effective meetings are brief, informative, and to the point. There are times to deliberate a major point, but if the committee must debate every decision at length, attendance in your meetings will dwindle. The work of committee members, officers, and the subcommittees should be done outside the meeting. Instead, committee meetings should be a place where members report on various activities, for the review of the whole committee.

I strongly encourage committees to meet once a month to keep members focused on the task at hand. Those committees that are meeting once a month generally have more vibrant committee membership and are able to make progress towards their goals.

Analyze the Current Condition of Your Committee
Before you set goals for the party in your town, it is important to make an honest evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of your Committee:

Does the Committee have 35 full members?
Does the Committee meet monthly?
How many Republican candidates have run in recent election cycles?
Has the Committee raised and donated money to local candidates?
How many Committee-backed candidates have won?
Has the Committee engaged in outreach activities? GOTV efforts?

Town Committees all have inherent strengths and weaknesses. Each committee should make an honest assessment of its strengths and identify those areas needing improvement.

To build your committee into a successful political machine, it is critical that you understand and play your role. Be a leader and make sure your members understand the role and purpose of the committee. Evaluate your committee and understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. By effectively managing your membership and delegating duties to them you can accomplish your goals.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. - Matt St. Hilaire