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Greer opponents: Confidence vote was trickery

Posted Dec 10, 2009 by William March

Updated Dec 10, 2009 at 11:04 PM

A vote of confidence won by state Republican Party Jim Greer in a party governing committee Thursday was a subterfuge and didn’t truly represent the opinions of the members present, according to two Hillsborough County party officials critical of Greer.

“It was out of order—the board was taken by surprise,” said Hillsborough County party Chairman Debbie Cox-Roush.

Added A.J. Matthews, “I’m disappointed this was allowed to go on. There’s no place for subterfuge or trickery in the Republican Party.”

The confidence motion passed on a voice vote with only two no votes out of 27 members of the state party executive board. But both Matthews and Roush said they expect the issue will come up again when the party’s full executive committee, its top governing body, meets in January in Orlando.

“I’ll make the motion myself if I have to,” Matthews said.

Matthews is a member of the executive board, which held the vote at a meeting Thursday in Tallahassee. Roush is not, but was present at the meeting, and is a member of the full executive committee.

They said the motion for a vote of confidence wasn’t on the agenda for the Thursday meeting, and came up at a time when many of those present didn’t expect it—during a report by Paul Senft of Polk County, a state delegate to the national party, on national party discussions about presidential primary dates.

Matthews said he was reading a report on party finances during Senft’s presentation. “Suddenly I heard the word ‘confidence,’ and the next thing I heard was ‘All in favor,’ ” he said. “It was over before it started.”

Matthews said he didn’t have time to realize what was happening and vote no, and therefore wasn’t one of the two no votes. He believes other members of the executive board were similary caught by surprise.

“I didn’t vote yes—a number of other individuals I know didn’t intend to vote yes,” Matthews said.

Roush said an afternoon board meeting in Tallahassee, a relatively inaccessible location, is not the forum at which party officials would expect such a crucial issue to come up. She said it would normally come up before a full executive committee meeting in a central location.

Greer, a political ally of Gov. Charlie Crist, has been under attack by a number of party officials, some of whom back Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate primary against Crist. The cite numerous complaints against him, which Greer denies, including allegations of misuse of party money and charges that Greer sought to have the party side with Crist in the primary.