Congratulations and Thank You from Chairman DeNapoli (VIDEO)

Congratulations to the newly elected officers of the Broward Republican Party, all elected unanimously before a standing-room only crowd: Broward GOP Chairman Rico PetrocelliYou can watch my opening Chairman’s remarks and passing of the gavel to new Chairman Petrocelli in the videos below:

Chairman DeNapoli Outgoing Remarks 12-3-2012
Chairman DeNapoli Opening Remarks 12-3-2012
Chairman DeNapoli Passing the Gavel to Chairman Petrocelli
Chairman DeNapoli Passing the Gavel to Chairman Petrocelli

Congratulations to:

 

Christine Butler, Vice-Chair

 

Cara Pavalock, Secretary

 

Mark McCarthy, Reelected Treasurer

I was happy to endorse this slate of officers and I know the Broward Republican Party will be in good hands with their leadership.

Congratulations also to new State Committeeman Ryan Anderson and our RNC Co-Chair, National Committeewoman, and State Committeewoman Sharon Day!

Finally, congratulations and thanks to the Broward Republican Party’s outgoing officers, who have all worked tirelessly for our cause:

Colleen Stolberg, Vice-Chair

Michael De Gruccio, Treasurer

Ed Kennedy, State Committeeman

Even though I’m leaving Broward county soon, I want to stay in touch!  You can reach me at (954) 298-9121.

Thanks again for your friendship, support and dedication to our Republican party.

All the best,

  sfl-fundraiser-richard-denapoli

Richard DeNapoli, 

Former Chairman, Broward Republican Party

Brigita DeNapoli & Victor DeNapoli

(954) 298-9121

[email protected]

www.browardgop.org

Petrocelli to Lead Broward Republicans

From BizPACReview.com … 

Broward County Republicans put Rico Petrocelli in the top leadership position Monday night with a unanimous vote of support.

The new chairman of  the Broward County Republican Executive Committee will replace Richard DeNapoli, who announced last month he would follow a career opportunity in another part of the state. DeNapoli endorsed Petrocelli and a slate of three other candidates for board positions. They were all voted in by the REC members. In part of his written endorsement, DeNapoli said:

Many of our members do not realize what goes into running the Broward GOP.  From setting up our monthly meetings, booking the hotel, coordinating speakers, maintaining our headquarters, making sure various bills are paid, advertising the party events, meeting with candidates, sending out emails, speaking with our almost 400 members on a regular basis … Rico has the skills, talent and experience to keep our party running smoothly from day one.

 We couldn’t have had our fundraising successes over the last two years without Rico Petrocelli.

A former Plantation city councilman, DeNapoli hired Petrocelli in 2010 as the county REC’s executive director, and according to the more than 250 Broward Republicans who supported his election as chairman, he has done a good job.

Petrocelli expected to  face challenger Karen Harrington, the former congressional candidate who announced her intention to run for county party chairwoman just after DeNapoli announced he wasn’t running for another term.

Harrington sent an email quitting the race just hours before Monday’s meeting, creating a stir in her absence. Read her email and the reaction to it at Karen Harrington embarrasses herself with another classless move.

See  BPR’s exclusive interviews with the incoming and outgoing chairmen.

Former Chairman Richard DeNapoli

Thank You from Broward GOP Chairman Richard DeNapoli

Thank You from Broward GOP Chairman Richard DeNapoli

Dear Fellow Broward Republican Executive Committee Members,

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your Chairman during these past two years. I’m writing to thank you for your friendship, support and dedication to our Republican Party. With your continued help and support of the Broward Republican Party, I’m optimistic that we will see many Republican victories in the future. Even though I’ll be moving away soon, I want to stay in touch!
You can reach me at (954) 298-9121.

See you at the BREC Meeting tonight!

Thanks again, and God Bless.

All the best,

Richard DeNapoli

Richard_Denapoli

Thank You Broward GOP

Next Broward Republican Party Meeting – Monday, December 3rd, 2012 – Election of Officers

Notice to Media

Original Message to Members Posted Below

Broward GOP

###

11/21/2012

 Dear Current BREC Members,
 
 This is the official notice for the
Broward Republican Party Meeting for the
Election of Officers
for the following positions:
Chairman
Vice-Chair
Secretary
Treasurer
Monday, December 3rd, 7 PM SHARP
Sign in begins at 6 PM
Sheraton Suites Hotel
555 NW 62nd Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
(just west of Andrews Ave off of the Cypress Creek West Exit of 1-95)
Celebration for Outgoing Officers
Cake and Coffee
Sincerely,
BREC Executive Board
 
 
www.browardgop.org
Political advertisement paid for and approved by the Broward Republican Executive Committee.  Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.  There is no audio or video recording permitted at our meetings.

Original Email from Richard DeNapoli Date: November 23, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving from the Broward Republican Party

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving

Fellow Broward Republican Executive Committee Members and Friends:

Here’s wishing you, along with your families, friends and all of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces, a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I am very thankful to have worked together with a wonderful Broward Republican Executive Board, including our RNC Co-Chair, National Committeewoman, and State Committeewoman Sharon Day, our State Committeeman Ed Kennedy, our Vice-Chair Colleen Stolberg, our Secretary Michael De Gruccio, our Treasurer Mark McCarthy and our Executive Director Rico Petrocelli.  As the Chairman of the largest Executive Committee in the great State of Florida with about 400 members, I am truly thankful and blessed for all of the hard work that our committeemembers and friends are putting forth to get Republicans elected!

I’d also like to share with you below Ronald Reagan’s first Thanksgiving Proclamation from 1981.

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving,

Richard DeNapoli, Chairman

Broward Republican Party

RONALD REAGAN’S FIRST THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

Ronald ReaganNOVEMBER 12, 1981

America has much for which to be thankful. The unequaled freedom enjoyed by our citizens has provided a harvest of plenty to this nation throughout its history. In keeping with America’s heritage, one day each year is set aside for giving thanks to God for all of His blessings. On this day of Thanksgiving, it is appropriate that we recall the first Thanksgiving, celebrated in the autumn of 1621. After surviving a bitter winter, the Pilgrims planted and harvested a bountiful crop. After the harvest they gathered their families together and joined in celebration and prayer with the Native Americans who had taught them so much. Clearly our forefathers were thankful not only for the material well being of their harvest but for this abundance of goodwill as well.

In this spirit, Thanksgiving has become a day when Americans extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Long before there was a government welfare program, this spirit of voluntary giving was ingrained in the American character. Americans have always understood that, truly, one must give in order to receive. This should be a day of giving as well as a day of thanks. As we celebrate Thanksgiving in 1981, we should reflect on the full meaning of this day as we enjoy the fellowship that is so much a part of the holiday festivities. Searching our hearts, we should ask what we can do as individuals to demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has done. Such reflection can only add to the significance of this precious day of remembrance.

Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great Nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people. Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 26, 1981, as Thanksgiving Day. In witness whereof, I have here unto set my hand this twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and sixth.

Date: November 12, 1981

By: Ronald Reagan

Political advertisement paid for and approved by the Broward Republican Executive Committee.  Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Original Email Date: November 21, 2012

Chairman DeNapoli and Vice-Chair Stolberg Endorse Rico Petrocelli for BREC Chair

Richard DeNapoli, Chairman

Colleen Stolberg, Vice-Chair

Endorse Rico Petrocelli for BREC Chairman

As Rico Petrocelli said in his campaign announcement, the Broward GOP works as a team where no one player wins the game by himself or herself. Well, one of the most valuable players on our Broward Republican Team is Rico Petrocelli.  We fully support his candidacy for Broward Republican Executive Committee (“BREC”) Chair.

Endorsement Rico Petrocelli
Rico and Richard at the 2011 Holiday Party

Rico knows what it takes to win elections.  We relied on his experience as a Town Councilman from Plantation and his extensive contacts in the community to assist us in leading the Broward GOP.  Rico knows how to build a team.  Rico has a kind servant’s heart and will make a great leader.  He knows how to energize our volunteers and build consensus around our mission of electing Republicans.

After hiring Rico with very little funds in our BREC Treasury two years ago, he immediately dove into his job, helping to build our party by getting donations wherever he could.  It’s difficult to raise funds for a county party — a totally different task than raising funds for a political campaign — but Rico worked tirelessly on both fundraising and the regular business of the Broward GOP.

Helping volunteers endorsement
Rico helping volunteers phone bank.

Many of our members do not realize what goes into running the Broward GOP.  From setting up our monthly meetings, booking the hotel, coordinating speakers, maintaining our headquarters, making sure various bills are paid, advertising the party events, meeting with candidates, sending out emails, speaking with our almost 400 members on a regular basis … Rico has the skills, talent and experience to keep our party running smoothly from day one.

We couldn’t have had our fundraising successes over the last two years without Rico Petrocelli.

As your Executive Director:

  • Rico got sponsors for a majority our monthly meetings;
  • Fundraised for our first Lincoln Day Dinner with Governor Rick Scott, RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day and Congressman Allen West, netting $90,000
  • Organize our Grand Old Party BBQ, which attracted over 600 guests
  • Secured over 170 attendees to Presidency V, netting some $30,000 for the Republican Party of Florida and $4,000 for the BREC
  • Fundraised for our second Lincoln Day in May 2012 with Keynote Speaker Attorney General Pam Bondi and Special Guests CFO Jeff Atwater and Congressman Allen West
  • Collected tens of thousands of dollars throughout both years in our regular fundraising appeals

Grand Old Party BBQ Endorsement
Richard and Rico Petrocelli at the 2011 Grand Old Party BBQ
These are only a few of the things that Rico has helped out with behind the scenes.  As your next Chairman, Rico would immediately have the experience and to continue these successes and keep the Broward GOP on the right track.

We need to continue our fundraising successes, attract new members, improve our technology and establish an improved GOTV Program.  Obama organizers had been deeply embedded in Broward for years before the 2012 election, focusing their persuasion efforts on person-to-person contact. Our Precinct Letter Project helped our members establish more personal contact with Republicans in their neighborhoods, and we know this will continue with Rico Petrocelli as your next Chairman.

We need to start campaigning for 2014 today and we have been preparing for this by examining a new and user-friendly online program.  This will assist Rico in making available for every REC member to organize their precincts and gather voter information in ways like never before.

Rico Petrocelli
Rico presenting a birthday cake to RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day

As your Chair and Vice-Chair, we have worked hard to empower you, our REC members, with precinct lists, Precinct Training Manuals, and other methods and information to help you reach out to the voters.  We hope that you elect Rico Petrocelli as your next Chairman so that he can continue our Eight Point Platform and build upon the progress that we’ve made with his positive energy and enthusiasm. 

As your Chair and Vice-Chair, we know that no one can do this job alone.  The strength of our organization lies in its members.  Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our Broward Republican Party, and without you, there would be no Broward Republican Party and no victories in any cycle.  Rico has been there for us, and we hope that you’ll be there for him.  We hope that you will join us in supporting Rico Petrocelli and his team as your next Chair and Board of the Republican Party of Broward County.

All the best,
Richard DeNapoli, Chairman
Colleen Stolberg, Vice-Chair

To My Fellow Republicans

Fellow Broward Republicans,

First, thank you once again from the bottom of my heart for all of the hard work and sacrifice that each of you made in this 2012 election cycle.  I have been incredibly humbled and honored to serve as your Chairman for these past two years.  It has been a labor of love, and we have all spent countless hours helping our Republican candidates.  I want to say thank you to all of you that have asked me to run for reelection, but I have decided to accept a career opportunity in another part of the state and will not be a candidate for reelection at the December organizational meeting.  This opportunity just came up and it’s the best move for my career and my family.  Colleen will also not seek reelection and has decided to spend more time with her husband and family.

So many of us worked so hard spending countless hours to help elect our Republican candidates, and that’s what made the recent results even harder to bear.  We participated in one of the largest GOP efforts in Broward history – Volunteers logged hundreds of thousands of calls, knocked on tens of thousands of doors, and we helped all of our candidates by handing out over 85,000 palm cards and mailing over 90,000 GOTV mailers.  Though nationally Republicans were overwhelmed by the Obama wave, thanks to your hard work, Mitt Romney got more votes in Broward than John McCain in 2008, even with a changing electorate.

This year’s elections were not a defeat of our core Republican principles.  If Republicans nationally can articulate an optimistic vision for our country’s future that appeals to people across all walks of life, we will see future successes at the polls.  As our RPOF Chairman Lenny Curry said in his recent Sun-Sentinel article, “…optimism is the fundamental principle of conservatism. We believe in the potential for greatness in the American individual….This nation is a foundation, and upon it any person – no matter their race or gender – can build a life filled with opportunity. At our core as Republicans we have ideas that are good for ALL Americans, and now we must work to ensure people hear this loud and clear.”  I am very optimistic about the future of the Republican Party nationally and in Broward county.

When Colleen Stolberg and I ran for Chair and Vice-Chair two years ago, we issued an Eight Point Platform for the Almost Eight Hundred Precincts in Broward County.  In our recent email, we detailed the Platform and how the promises we made were the promises we kept (which I have pasted below).   I hope that whoever comes forward to run for the officer positions of the Republican Party of Broward will continue these successes and improve upon them with new ideas.

Together, we have all built the largest REC in the state of Florida with blockbuster attendance and the foundation for a continued strong Republican Party in Broward.  We saw tremendous fundraising successes over the last two years, raising over $385,000 of revenue for the party through regular events and fundraising appeals.  We added about 200 new members to the REC.  We instituted a solid internet presence and new clubs and committees were created.

The BREC needs to continue its fundraising successes, attract new members, improve our technology and establish an improved GOTV Program.  Obama organizers had been deeply embedded in Broward for years before the 2012 election, focusing their persuasion efforts on person-to-person contact. Our Precinct Letter Project helped our members establish more personal contact with Republicans in their neighborhoods.  Broward Republicans need to start campaigning for 2014 today.

Despite how much we suffered in redistricting and the Obama wave this November 6th, there were some local Broward bright spots.  Despite the national Democrat surge, State Representative George Moraitis won reelection by 10 points in a district that went from having a 7.5% Republican registration advantage to only a 1.1% Republican advantage after redistricting. Donna Korn won election to the Broward School Board in the countywide seat against the former Democratic Minority Leader of the Florida House – an amazing feat in Broward County! In August, Katie Leach also won election to the School Board, becoming the first Republican to win a school board seat in Broward since the year 2000.  Vincent Boccard was elected Mayor of Coral Springs, and Dan Daley is a new Coral Springs City Commissioner. Patty Asseff won reelection to the Hollywood City Commission. Jeff Nelson was reelected in Southwest Ranches and Jeff Green was reelected in Cooper City.  Congressman Mario Diaz Balart will also continue to represent a portion of Broward County.  Senator Bogdanoff won the Broward portion of her Broward/Palm Beach District, and Adam Hasner performed better in the Broward portion of his district than the Palm Beach portion.  We must thank Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, Adam Hasner, Sheriff Lamberti and Congressman West for their service to Broward’s residents.

Broward needs to reelect State Representative George Moraitis and County Commissioner LaMarca, as well as our statewide elected officials: Governor Scott, Attorney General Bondi, CFO Atwater and Commissioner of Agriculture Putnam.  They will all be targeted by the Democrats.  The BREC needs to continue to support our Republican nominees in other races and in local off-year elections.  We did this in 2011 and 2012, and we need to continue to support our local candidates.

I must thank Rico Petrocelli, our Executive Director, for all of the hard work that he has put into his role.  Special thanks also to our wonderful Executive Board.  There is no way that we could have accomplished what we did without them.  Our Vice-Chair Colleen Stolberg diligently worked to recruit new REC members and helped us become the largest REC in the State of Florida.  Thanks to the efforts of our Treasurer Mark McCarthy, we were able to remove thousands of deceased voters from the rolls and establish a Federal Campaign Account that allowed us to purchase all of those Romney/Ryan signs and bumper stickers.  Our Secretary Michael De Gruccio served as the Lincoln Day Chair and major fundraiser for 2011 and 2012 and worked day and night at the Pompano HQ coordinating our Get Out The Vote and Poll Watching/Poll Campaigning efforts.  RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day campaigned tirelessly all over the country inspiring crowds and working to get our Republican candidates elected.  State Committeeman Ed Kennedy has been a wonderful resource to the Board and campaigns.

Lastly, I could not have made the commitment I did without the support of my wife – the love of my life.  She spent many an evening alone, most recently with our newborn son, while I was participating in our various functions and going to club meetings across the county.  When I ran for Chairman two years ago, I was still dating Brigita. We got married in Italy in August 2011 and in August 2012 I became a proud father when Victor Alfred DeNapoli was born.  Though it’s tough to leave Broward and my passion for politics, I know that there are good things ahead for myself and my family.Being the County Chairman or serving on the Board is not a glamorous position…it’s a public service position.  Anyone who does this volunteer job quickly realizes that it’s a labor of love that requires time, patience, and constant dedication – oftentimes into the wee hours of the night. But it is well worth the effort.  I am happy to count so many of you as my friends.  The strength of our organization lies in its members.  Our volunteers and members are the heart and soul of our Broward Republican Party, and without you, there would be no Broward Republican Party and no victories in any cycle.

Thank you once again for your sacrifice to our mutual cause, for your support of me as your Chairman, and for your friendship.  I look forward to seeing you all very soon and my family and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and a Joyous Holiday Season.

All the best,

Richard DeNapoli

954-298-9121

   ###

Promises Made, Promises Kept

 

Dear Fellow Broward Republicans,

When Colleen Stolberg and I ran for Chair and Vice-Chair two years ago, we issued an Eight Point Platform for the Almost Eight Hundred Precincts in Broward County. Below, we detail the Platform and how the promises we made were the promises we kept.

All the Best,

Richard DeNapoli, Chairman

“1.  GOP Unity.  By focusing on our shared conservative values and what unites us rather than on what divides us, we can build a better organization. Together, we can accomplish anything.”

  • Together, as an organization, we grew our membership and built the largest REC in the State of Florida…in the most Democrat-dominated county in Florida.  Together, we had over 300 people at every meeting.  Together we pulled in crowds of 450 at Lincoln Day 2011, over 600 at the Grand Old Party BBQ, and almost 500 at our Lincoln Day 2012.  A growing membership and blockbuster attendance at meetings and events is a sure sign of a united organization.

“2.  Growing Our Membership through the “800 Club.”  There are almost 800 precincts in Broward County.  For the upcoming elections, we should try to fill these precincts with active Committemen and Committeewomen.  Only through an active and large membership can we achieve our long-term goals of getting more Republicans elected.”

  • We added almost 200 new members in the last two years thanks to our outreach efforts.  Thanks to Vice Chair Colleen Stolberg for her amazing work building our organization.

“3.  Empowering our Members and Local Clubs.  The Board of the BREC exists to serve its committee members, and servant leaders are what we aim to be as your Chair and Vice-Chair.  We should also provide our committee members with the opportunity to make public comments at every meeting.  We must strive to give each and every committee member and club the tools they need to succeed in organizing their precincts.  The stronger our local clubs and organizations are, the stronger the Executive Committee will be.  Our local club Presidents should meet regularly and elect a Chair of the Club Presidents on a yearly basis that sits on the dais with the rest of the Board and participates in Executive Board meetings. …”

  • At our very first meeting, we allowed public comments and motions…and continued this for the last two years.
  • We provided all of our members with training manuals and precinct listsin 2011 – far in advance of the elections.
  • The Weston Club was restarted and the Republican Club of Central Broward was created.  Both quickly became very successful.  The BREC Jewish Outreach Committee was also started which in turn became very successful.
  • We offered our members a way to reach out to the Republicans in their precincts via our Precinct Letter Project.  This allowed our members to contact over 50,000 Republican households and provide them with a customized voter guide to help all of our candidates on the ballot. Though we won’t know turnout numbers by registration for a couple of weeks, in precincts where members sent letters, there was higher performance compared to neighboring similar precincts.  Additionally, the BREC sent out 40,000 of these letters and guides to areas not represented by REC members to help turn out the vote.  This assisted our preferred candidates in the nonpartisan races tremendously.  An example is Coral Springs: Every precinct in Coral Springs was covered, where Vincent Boccard and Dan Daley won election.  The entire city of Margate was covered, and our two candidates there came very close to winning their races.
  • We held regular Club Presidents meetings, and the club presidents elected Chairs of the Club Presidents (though they didn’t want to sit on the dais).

“4.  Fundraising.  We need active fundraising throughout the year through regular Lincoln Day, Reagan Day, and other functions that will enable us to hire an Executive Director to run our operations and headquarters as well as to provide more resources for our members and candidates.  As your Treasurer, Richard took it upon himself to focus on fundraising to keep our organization going through the November election.  We need to remain diligent throughout the year so we always have enough money to achieve our goals.”

  • The total of all monies raised during the last two years was revenue of $385,144.
  • Less than three months after our election, we held our first Lincoln Day, featuring Keynote Speaker Governor Scott and Special Guests RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day and Congressman Allen West.  We netted $90,000.
  • In June 2011, we held our Grand Old Party BBQ featuring Congressman Allen West and just about every Republican candidate running for office in Broward County. We netted about $15,000.
  • In September 2011, Presidency 5 we had more than 170 attendees from Broward.  This resulted in some $30,000 netted for the Republican Party of Florida, which in turn referred $4,000 to the BREC.
  • We held our second Lincoln Day in May 2012 with Keynote Speaker Attorney General Pam Bondi and Special Guests CFO Jeff Atwater and Congressman Allen West.
  • We collected tens of thousands of dollars throughout both years in our regular fundraising appeals and monthly sponsors at meetings.
  • We opened a Federal Account thanks to the hard work of Treasurer Mark McCarthy – this enabled us to make purchases of Romney/Ryan signs, bumper stickers, etc.  We distributed over 8,000 Romney/Ryan signs and bumper stickers throughout Broward – mostly paid for through contributions to the Federal account.

“5.    Committees.    There is a lot of talent among our Executive Committee members.  We are all leaders of our own precincts. We need leaders for (a variety of) … committees…”

  • We appointed various members to various committees.  Colleen Stolberg managed our Membership Committee, and we added almost 200 new members
  • Michael De Gruccio spearheaded our Registration Committee, and many of our members went out doing voter registration.  The RPOF set a goal of a little more than 12,000 new Republican registrations. Together, Broward exceeded our goals with new Republican registrations of over 18,000 since the 2010 General Election.
  • Richard focused on Candidate Recruitment, and we had more candidates than at any point in recent memory, and appointed members to various leadership councils and outreach committees.
  • We held monthly charitable drives that were spearheaded by Heather Moraitis, wife of George Moraitis, our State Representative.

“6.    Technology.  As the county with the second largest number of registered Republicans in Florida, we need a website that is second to none.  Campaigns have become increasingly focused on technology, and we need to keep up with these advances while remaining focused on the time-tested, effective grassroots techniques.”

  • Richard redesigned our website and updated it regularly over the past two years.
  • Richard established our Facebook Fan page in 2011, and it has over 20,000 fans today.  We also utilized Facebook advertising to attract attendees and new members to our events and meetings.
  • Our email list has attracted over 20,000 contacts.
  • Utilizing sign-up forms online, we referred over 500 volunteers – many first time volunteers – to the Romney and Broward GOP Victory offices.
  • Richard also reached out to new people via robo calls.
  • We received accolades in local press for our advances in technology.

“7.     GOTV Training.  It can be overwhelming when someone first gets involved in our organization.  Through regular precinct training, we can help our members succeed.”

  • The Board created and designed, after consultation with the Club Presidents, the Broward GOP Precinct Training Manual, which was presented at four different training sessions throughout the four corners of Broward in November 2011.
  • This training manual was presented by Richard at an RPOF meeting and it quickly became the model for all the RECs across the state of Florida.

“8.      Shared Celebrations.  Recognizing the efforts of our local clubs, volunteers and members will promote more goodwill throughout our organization.”

  • We have thanked our members with mentions at meetings, presented lifetime achievement awards to our long serving members, presented awards to our elected officials, presented member-of-the-year awards, Young Republican of the Year awards, and recognized our host committee members for our various fundraisers in print and online advertising.

Lastly, beyond the Eight Point Platform, we also accomplished the following as an organization:

  • We garnered national news attention when we unearthed evidence and were successful in having thousands of dead voters removed from the rolls in Broward.
  • We fought the Broward Supervisor of Elections and successfully restored an Early Voting Site to the east side of Broward (this site had the highest percentage of Republican voters of all the Early Voting sites in the August 2012 primary).
  • We fielded candidates in more races than ever in recent memory throughout the county.
  • We had the liberal League of Women Voters Guide removed from the Broward Supervisor of Election’s website.
  • We chased absentee Republican voters with robocalls, mailings, and phone banking, and had a higher return rate than the Democrats.
  • We distributed 85,000 palm card voter guides for Early Voting and Election Day, and online recommendations were downloaded over 1,000 times.
  • We remodeled the BREC HQ, and opened it up to all candidates.
  • We defended Congressman West and multiple other candidates during redistricting hearings that many of our members and officers attended.
  • We opened two Broward GOP Victory offices South of I-595, where tens of thousands of calls have been made to turn out the Republican vote.
  • Broward saw the first Republican elected to the School Board since the year 2000 when Katie Leach was elected in August, and all of our recommended candidates either won their August races outright or made it to the November election.
  • Though is was a tough year, redistricting hurt our prospects and the National Democrat surge claimed as many as five GOP incumbents (some in what many would consider “safe seats”) from the Florida State House (including the incoming Speaker Designate), two State Senate seats, and three Congressional seats, there were some bright spots in Broward County….
  • George Moraitis was reelected by 10 points in a district that went from having a 7.5% Republican registration advantage to only a 1.1% Republican advantage after redistricting.
  • Vincent Boccard was elected Mayor of Coral Springs, and Dan Daley is a new Coral Springs City Commissioner. Republicans now hold 4 of 5 seats in Coral Springs.  Patty Asseff won reelection to the Hollywood City Commission.  Jeff Nelson was reelected in Southwest Ranches and Jeff Green was reelected in Cooper City.  Congressman Mario Diaz Balart will also continue to represent a portion of Broward County.
  • Donna Korn won election to the School Board in the at-large seat, an amazing feat in Broward County against the former Democratic Leader of the Florida House!

While there may be good election cycles and bad election cycles, you can be assured that our promises made have been our promises kept.  We will always work hard on behalf of our Republican candidates and the BREC.

All the best,

Richard DeNapoli & Colleen Stolberg

 Original Email Dated: November 19, 2012, 7 AM

Political advertisement paid for and approved by the Broward Republican Executive Committee.  Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Coral Springs Swearing In Ceremony

Here are a couple of pictures from the Coral Springs Swearing In Ceremony for New Officeholders on November 16, 2012.

Richard DeNapoli, Mayor Vince Boccard, Commissioners Dan Daley, Tom Powers, Larry Vignola

Richard DeNapoli, Mayor Vince Boccard, Commissioners Dan Daley, Tom Powers, Larry Vignola

Doug Harrison, Dan Daley, Richard DeNapoli at the Coral Springs Swearing in Ceremony

Doug Harrison, Dan Daley, Richard DeNapoli at the Coral Springs Swearing in Ceremony

 

Chairman Richard DeNapoli: Promises Made, Promises Kept

Promises Made, Promises Kept

Dear Fellow Broward Republicans,

When Colleen Stolberg and I ran for Chair and Vice-Chair two years ago, we issued an Eight Point Platform for the Almost Eight Hundred Precincts in Broward County. Below, we detail the Platform and how the promises we made were the promises we kept.

All the Best,

Richard DeNapoli, Chairman

“1.  GOP Unity.  By focusing on our shared conservative values and what unites us rather than on what divides us, we can build a better organization. Together, we can accomplish anything.”

  • Together, as an organization, we grew our membership and built the largest REC in the State of Florida…in the most Democrat-dominated county in Florida.  Together, we had over 300 people at every meeting.  Together we pulled in crowds of 450 at Lincoln Day 2011, over 600 at the Grand Old Party BBQ, and almost 500 at our Lincoln Day 2012.  A growing membership and blockbuster attendance at meetings and events is a sure sign of a united organization.

“2.  Growing Our Membership through the “800 Club.”  There are almost 800 precincts in Broward County.  For the upcoming elections, we should try to fill these precincts with active Committemen and Committeewomen.  Only through an active and large membership can we achieve our long-term goals of getting more Republicans elected.”

  • We added almost 200 new members in the last two years thanks to our outreach efforts.  Thanks to Vice Chair Colleen Stolberg for her amazing work building our organization.

“3.  Empowering our Members and Local Clubs.  The Board of the BREC exists to serve its committee members, and servant leaders are what we aim to be as your Chair and Vice-Chair.  We should also provide our committee members with the opportunity to make public comments at every meeting.  We must strive to give each and every committee member and club the tools they need to succeed in organizing their precincts.  The stronger our local clubs and organizations are, the stronger the Executive Committee will be.  Our local club Presidents should meet regularly and elect a Chair of the Club Presidents on a yearly basis that sits on the dais with the rest of the Board and participates in Executive Board meetings. …”

  • At our very first meeting, we allowed public comments and motions…and continued this for the last two years.
  • We provided all of our members with training manuals and precinct listsin 2011 – far in advance of the elections.
  • The Weston Club was restarted and the Republican Club of Central Broward was created.  Both quickly became very successful.  The BREC Jewish Outreach Committee was also started which in turn became very successful.
  • We offered our members a way to reach out to the Republicans in their precincts via our Precinct Letter Project.  This allowed our members to contact over 50,000 Republican households and provide them with a customized voter guide to help all of our candidates on the ballot. Though we won’t know turnout numbers by registration for a couple of weeks, in precincts where members sent letters, there was higher performance compared to neighboring similar precincts.  Additionally, the BREC sent out 40,000 of these letters and guides to areas not represented by REC members to help turn out the vote.  This assisted our preferred candidates in the nonpartisan races tremendously.  An example is Coral Springs: Every precinct in Coral Springs was covered, where Vincent Boccard and Dan Daley won election.  The entire city of Margate was covered, and our two candidates there came very close to winning their races.
  • We held regular Club Presidents meetings, and the club presidents elected Chairs of the Club Presidents (though they didn’t want to sit on the dais).

“4.  Fundraising.  We need active fundraising throughout the year through regular Lincoln Day, Reagan Day, and other functions that will enable us to hire an Executive Director to run our operations and headquarters as well as to provide more resources for our members and candidates.  As your Treasurer, Richard took it upon himself to focus on fundraising to keep our organization going through the November election.  We need to remain diligent throughout the year so we always have enough money to achieve our goals.”

  • The total of all monies raised during the last two years was revenue of $385,144.
  • Less than three months after our election, we held our first Lincoln Day, featuring Keynote Speaker Governor Scott and Special Guests RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day and Congressman Allen West.  We netted $90,000.
  • In June 2011, we held our Grand Old Party BBQ featuring Congressman Allen West and just about every Republican candidate running for office in Broward County. We netted about $15,000.
  • In September 2011, Presidency 5 we had more than 170 attendees from Broward.  This resulted in some $30,000 netted for the Republican Party of Florida, which in turn referred $4,000 to the BREC.
  • We held our second Lincoln Day in May 2012 with Keynote Speaker Attorney General Pam Bondi and Special Guests CFO Jeff Atwater and Congressman Allen West.
  • We collected tens of thousands of dollars throughout both years in our regular fundraising appeals and monthly sponsors at meetings.
  • We opened a Federal Account thanks to the hard work of Treasurer Mark McCarthy – this enabled us to make purchases of Romney/Ryan signs, bumper stickers, etc.  We distributed over 8,000 Romney/Ryan signs and bumper stickers throughout Broward – mostly paid for through contributions to the Federal account.

5.    Committees.    There is a lot of talent among our Executive Committee members.  We are all leaders of our own precincts. We need leaders for (a variety of) … committees…”

  • We appointed various members to various committees.  Colleen Stolberg managed our Membership Committee, and we added almost 200 new members
  • Michael De Gruccio spearheaded our Registration Committee, and many of our members went out doing voter registration.  The RPOF set a goal of a little more than 12,000 new Republican registrations. Together, Broward exceeded our goals with new Republican registrations of over 18,000 since the 2010 General Election.
  • Richard focused on Candidate Recruitment, and we had more candidates than at any point in recent memory, and appointed members to various leadership councils and outreach committees.
  • We held monthly charitable drives that were spearheaded by Heather Moraitis, wife of George Moraitis, our State Representative.

“6.    Technology.  As the county with the second largest number of registered Republicans in Florida, we need a website that is second to none.  Campaigns have become increasingly focused on technology, and we need to keep up with these advances while remaining focused on the time-tested, effective grassroots techniques.”

  • Richard redesigned our website and updated it regularly over the past two years.
  • Richard established our Facebook Fan page in 2011, and it has over 20,000 fans today.  We also utilized Facebook advertising to attract attendees and new members to our events and meetings.
  • Our email list has attracted over 20,000 contacts.
  • Utilizing sign-up forms online, we referred over 500 volunteers – many first time volunteers – to the Romney and Broward GOP Victory offices.
  • Richard also reached out to new people via robo calls.
  • We received accolades in local press for our advances in technology.

“7.     GOTV Training.  It can be overwhelming when someone first gets involved in our organization.  Through regular precinct training, we can help our members succeed.”

  • The Board created and designed, after consultation with the Club Presidents, the Broward GOP Precinct Training Manual, which was presented at four different training sessions throughout the four corners of Broward in November 2011.
  • This training manual was presented by Richard at an RPOF meeting and it quickly became the model for all the RECs across the state of Florida.

“8.      Shared Celebrations.  Recognizing the efforts of our local clubs, volunteers and members will promote more goodwill throughout our organization.”

  • We have thanked our members with mentions at meetings, presented lifetime achievement awards to our long serving members, presented awards to our elected officials, presented member-of-the-year awards, Young Republican of the Year awards, and recognized our host committee members for our various fundraisers in print and online advertising.

Lastly, beyond the Eight Point Platform, we also accomplished the following as an organization: 

  • We garnered national news attention when we unearthed evidence and were successful in having thousands of dead voters removed from the rolls in Broward.
  • We fought the Broward Supervisor of Elections and successfully restored an Early Voting Site to the east side of Broward (this site had the highest percentage of Republican voters of all the Early Voting sites in the August 2012 primary).
  • We fielded candidates in more races than ever in recent memory throughout the county.
  • We had the liberal League of Women Voters Guide removed from the Broward Supervisor of Election’s website.
  • We chased absentee Republican voters with robocalls, mailings, and phone banking, and had a higher return rate than the Democrats.
  • We distributed 85,000 palm card voter guides for Early Voting and Election Day, and online recommendations were downloaded over 1,000 times.
  • We remodeled the BREC HQ, and opened it up to all candidates.
  • We defended Congressman West and multiple other candidates during redistricting hearings that many of our members and officers attended.
  • We opened two Broward GOP Victory offices South of I-595, where tens of thousands of calls have been made to turn out the Republican vote.
  • Broward saw the first Republican elected to the School Board since the year 2000 when Katie Leach was elected in August, and all of our recommended candidates either won their August races outright or made it to the November election.
  • Though is was a tough year, redistricting hurt our prospects and the National Democrat surge claimed as many as five GOP incumbents (some in what many would consider “safe seats”) from the Florida State House (including the incoming Speaker Designate), two State Senate seats, and three Congressional seats, there were some bright spots in Broward County….
  • George Moraitis was reelected by 10 points in a district that went from having a 7.5% Republican registration advantage to only a 1.1% Republican advantage after redistricting.
  • Vincent Boccard was elected Mayor of Coral Springs, and Dan Daley is a new Coral Springs City Commissioner. Republicans now hold 4 of 5 seats in Coral Springs.  Patty Asseff won reelection to the Hollywood City Commission.  Jeff Nelson was reelected in Southwest Ranches and Jeff Green was reelected in Cooper City.  Congressman Mario Diaz Balart will also continue to represent a portion of Broward County.
  • Donna Korn won election to the School Board in the at-large seat, an amazing feat in Broward County against the former Democratic Leader of the Florida House!

While there may be good election cycles and bad election cycles, you can be assured that our promises made have been our promises kept.  We will always work hard on behalf of our Republican candidates and the BREC.

All the best,

Richard DeNapoli, GOP Unity, Promises Made, Promises Kept

Richard DeNapoli & Colleen Stolberg

Original Email, “Promises Made, Promises Kept,” dated November 13, 2012

Happy Veterans Day! Ways to Say Thanks

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

  

Here’s wishing all of America’s Veterans a Happy Veterans Day!  Remember to thank a veteran or soldier for defending our liberty and freedom.  Please see below for 4 ways to show your appreciation to America’s vets and those still in uniform – that was featured in this past weekend’s Parade magazine.

God Bless America,

Richard DeNapoli, Chairman

Broward Republican Party

4 Ways to Say Thanks on Veterans Day

Want to say thank you to someone who’s served? Here are four ways to show your appreciation to America’s vets and those still in uniform.

  

1. Share your miles.
With just a phone call or a few clicks, you can transfer frequent flier miles from many airlines to  Fisher House Foundation’s “Hero Miles” program, which has provided more than 30,000 flights to service members and their loved ones traveling to VA hospitals.

2. Make a quilt for a child.
Sign up with Operation Kid Comfort to receive fabric squares printed with photos from a family with a deployed service member; sew the squares into a quilt (it takes about 10 hours) and then mail your gift to a child who misses Mom or Dad.

3. Print out the DAV Rx Card.
It’s free, available to anyone (regardless of your insurance), and every time you use the card at a participating pharmacy, 50 cents goes to Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Plus, it may help you save up to 75 percent on your prescriptions.

4. Send leftover Halloween candy.
Or a knitted scarf-or best of all, a handwritten letter. Operation Gratitude is collecting these items and more to fill care packages for vets and active-duty troops and their families. Visit their website to find a list of what to donate.

  

###

  

11 Ways to Say Thanks from Last Year’s Parade Magazine:

1. Give shelter.  Homes for Our Troops constructs houses for severely injured veterans who served after 9/11. Donate equipment or help build a home.homesforourtroops.org

2. Offer a vet a ride.  The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) provides free transportation to men and women unable to travel to VA medical facilities on their own. You can volunteer to drive a DAV van for those in need.dav.org/volunteers

3. Provide foster care for a pet.  Take in the dog or cat of a deployed soldier or a wounded veteran while he or she is on duty or receiving VA medical treatment. guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org

4. Record a war story. Do you know an old soldier with tales from the front lines? The Library of Congress wants to hear his voice. Go to the website below for tips on conducting an interview or to request a field kit, including biographical data and release forms.

loc.gov/vets

5. Put those old cell phones to good use. Instead of stashing your used phones in the junk drawer, ship them to Cell Phones for Soldiers. For each one donated, the organization will pay for an hour of talk time for troops overseas.cellphonesforsoldiers.com

6. Donate used DVDs. Drop off movies or television shows at your local VA facility, or mail them to DVDs4Vets, a national organization that distributes them where needed.

dvds4vets.org

7. Cut coupons. Have some expired coupons lying around? Military families can use them for up to six months past their end date.

coupsfortroops.com

 

8. Contribute to a holiday drive. Operation Gratitude’s annual campaign collects clothing, food, and more and packs it in gift boxes for service members. Pitch in by offering up items; local residents can sort them on-site.operationgratitude.com/volunteer

9. Post a care package. Through the organization Kitchen Table Gang, hospitalized veterans and troops abroad can receive personalized parcels containing everything from candy to board games. Get a service member’s address from KTG, bundle up items with a note of thanks, and send them off.soldierpackages.org

10. Share your expertise. MilServe connects volunteers with vets in many areas: financial counseling or legal services; job search guidance; even carpentry, for building wheelchair ramps.

milserve.org

11. Support Big Brothers Big Sisters. The national organization has a special Military Mentoring program for children with parents in the armed forces. The group carefully pairs kids with adults serving in the military, as well as with veterans and civilians.

bbbs.org

Veterans Day Eagle

 

Political advertisement paid for and approved by the Broward Republican Executive Committee.  Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Original Email Date: November 12, 2012