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Dear Members,
In the past, I’ve written many types of monthly letters; some inspiring, some heartwarming, and others crafted by design; meant to help us think outside the box by providing facts, rules, policies, and details regarding a specific issue.
This month’s letter is the latter. It is written with a heavy heart. You’ve seen the facts, rules, and policies in past emails regarding the unrest within the California Federation of Republican Women, (CFRW) organization.
To recap, in the past few months, a fraction of the CFRW board improperly voted to have the current elected President, Janet Price, removed for undisclosed cause. Then, they proceeded to install a new president in the interim, (Mary Ervin), and a partial “new board”. The California RWF Presidents attended a CFRW Zoom meeting and were presented with one side of the facts with the inability to interject during the meeting as we were all muted. We were, however, allowed to submit questions to the Zoom leader, who would only answer questions that did not challenge the validity of their accusations and the unlawful removal of a duly elected CFRW official.
The CFRW bank account was frozen by Bank of America when Mary Ervin and Lydia Kanno submitted signature cards to the bank claiming to be the new president and treasurer. As a result, the newly, self- installed CFRW used $5,000.00 dollars from the account to retain an attorney using your club membership dues to defend their position in a lawsuit, filed by Janet Price. Now, we are being told the bank balance in December 2022 was $321,000. Now, the bank balance is $9,365, so where is the money?
Many CFRW presidents and members have reached out to NFRW for direction and clarification as to who is the rightful CFRW President. As of today, February 10, 2023, no one from NFRW has responded with direction. Numerous clubs all over the state have left the federation in frustration. Here is an excerpt from Tahoe Truckee RWF outgoing members in a letter to CFRW and NFRW:
“We live in a time when our society has been engulfed in frightening progressivism and many members are overwhelmed by how far to the left our state and country have shifted within every aspect of our lives. For CFRW to engage in infighting rather than have all its attention keenly focused on opposing such “progress”, shows a lapse of judgment. That the upheaval at CFRW occurred immediately prior to the mid-term elections, when certainly the time of those involved would have been better spent campaigning for Republican candidates, is a clear timing blunder. That hard earned CFRW funds are being used to fund attorney fees to fight against "our own", instead of to support candidates, seeking election integrity, or other worthy causes, is wasting valuable resources. That attorneys who are paid from our membership dues may yet make a public spectacle of this debacle, causing more PR damage to the Republican Party and the conservative message, goes contrary to the principles of the members of TTRWF. That NFRW ignored our pleas to intervene and mediate the infighting of the CFRW factions, without showing us the courtesy of a response - is also disconcerting. That emails claiming to be sent from CFRW are actually being sent from Mary Ervin’s law office, (maryervinlaw@gmail.com), further calls into question who is actually in control of CFRW. This has been a huge disappointment to us, as it reflects badly on the structure of CFRW and NFRW; organizations our club had proudly affiliated with for decades.
The failures of leadership of the CFRW and/or NFRW, when coupled with antiquated bylaws that prevent clubs from making campaign contributions, prohibit club presidents from making endorsements, and use of membership dues which do not go towards expenditures that directly benefit our members in rural California, led to our vote not to renew its affiliation with CFRW and/or NFRW.”
American River RWF President and District 5 City Council Member, Anna Rohrbough sent the email below to her membership this week, and I fully support her thoughts and feelings.
“Many of you have reached out about emails that rogue (Mary Ervin’s) group has been sending, threatening loss of your membership and demanding you fill out a per capita or membership form. First, it is the Board’s responsibility to fill out and turn in membership reports. It is not acceptable for them to scare anyone or threaten the membership. Second, we are all currently members of NFRW for two years, which includes last year (2022) and this year (2023). We are just fine for now. Please don’t participate in fear mongering. We, as a board, will always communicate and keep you posted as to our status. If you receive an email and it feels like you are being forced or bullied into something, delete it, or send us an email with your concerns. We are here for you.”
So, here are the facts:
Out of each of our $40.00 membership dues, SRWF pays CFRW $27.00. $20.00 goes to NFRW and CFRW keeps $7.00. SRWF only keeps $13.00 of the original $40.00 dues payment. Can anyone please help me understand why no one from NFRW has stepped in to help California and say who the legal and legitimate CFRW President is and why NFRW members have been told, “It’s a California issue. We’re not getting involved.”
I am reminded of a conversation I had with my mother-in-law, when I asked her, “Why did you leave the Democratic Party after 62 years?” Her answer will always resonate with me. Simply put, she replied, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. They left me. My views and concerns have always remained the same.”
Has NFRW and CFRW changed, and is it time to go our separate ways and be independent? We, the members of SRWF, have not changed. Our views and concerns have always remained the same. We believe in God, Country, the Republic, and Rule of Law. The question is, does NFRW and CFRW still believe the same? I assure you, potentially breaking away from a club that has been in existence for over 90 years is a decision our Board does not take lightly.
I want to encourage all of you to join me by reaching out and emailing NFRW President Eileen Sobjack, at esobjack@nfrw.org and copy 2nd VP – Region 2 Director Michelle Beth Buckwalter-Schurman at mschurman@nelsonkilgus.com with the following requests:
1. Madam President, As the duly elected President and 2nd Vice-President of NFRW, please make an official statement or ruling, confirming who the legitimate President of CFRW is.
2. Madam President, As the duly elected President and 2nd Vice-President of NFRW, please email RWF Presidents directly with this statement or ruling by March 1, 2023.
Here's a quote that we should all live by. “Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown, without telling the world it was crooked”. Perhaps CFRW should have applied this principle before acting so hastily.
It’s never too late to do the right thing.
Tabitha
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