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Senft: Confidence motion was in order

Posted Dec 11, 2009 by William March

Updated Dec 11, 2009 at 12:34 PM

Paul Senft of Haines City, who made the motion Thursday for a vote of confidence in state GOP leaders including embattled party Chairman Jim Greer, is defending his motion from critics who called it “subterfuge” and out of order.

“Accordinging to our legal counsel it was in order,” Senft said. “When someone is recognized and has the floor they can make a motion – it was a simple motion for confidence in all the officers, made for the purposes of unity and clarification.”

The motion won on a voice vote with only two dissenting votes by the executive board of the party.

But some critics of Greer, including Hillsborough County party officials Debbie Cox-Roush and board member A.J. Matthews, who wasn’t one of the no votes, said afterward they were taken by surprise by the vote. Matthews said he and other Greer opponents would have voted no, but that motion was made and passed before they understood what was going on, during a presentation by Senft on a different subject.

But Senft said opponents they “had an opportunity to speak up and they chose not to speak up.”

“I brought it up in the context of my report as national committeeman,” he said. “Various state parties around the state are passing such motions or resolutions because everyone wants to say Republicans are divided.”