August is over, and with it the busiest stretch on our calendar in a long while. Four months, several full rooms, and a great many folding chairs. Thank you to everyone who showed up, set up, cleaned up, and stayed late to talk in the parking lot.
A quick look back before we get on with the fall.
Leadership Breakfast — Saturday, July 11
A 7:00 AM program is a real test of a county party, and Kirkbride Hall filled up anyway. Ron Jolly of WTCM NewsTalk 580 kept things moving from the podium, and the coffee held out. If you have been meaning to meet the people who actually run things around here, this is the morning to catch next year.
Summer Picnic — Saturday, July 25
Grills, lawn chairs, and no agenda to speak of. Families came, kids ran around, and nobody gave a speech. Some of the best organizing we do is the kind that looks like a cookout.
Grand Traverse County Convention — Thursday, August 13
Delegates gathered at Pine Hall to seat our delegation and take care of county business. Conventions are not glamorous, but they are where the party decides who speaks for it. Thank you to every precinct delegate who made the time. We had over 100 of our 140 delegates elected and sent to our state convention.
Michigan State Convention
Grand Traverse County was represented on the state floor, and our delegates carried this county’s voice into the room. Traveling downstate on your own dime to sit through a long day of party business is a real commitment, and we noticed.
Judge Michael Warren — Thursday, August 27
We closed out the summer with Judge Michael Warren, who has served on the Oakland County Circuit Court since 2002 and co-founded Patriot Week with his daughter Leah. He is also one of two Republican nominees for the Michigan Supreme Court this November.
He left us with something worth repeating: Supreme Court races sit in the nonpartisan section of the ballot, after the party columns — on most Michigan ballots, the back side. A straight-ticket vote does not carry over. Vote the front, then turn it over and finish the job.
See the photos
Our volunteers took a lot of pictures. Here they are.
- Leadership Breakfast Saturday, July 11 · Kirkbride Hall
- Grand Traverse County Convention Thursday, August 13 · Pine Hall
- Michigan State Convention [ADD DATE] · Our delegation on the state floor
- Judge Michael Warren Thursday, August 27 · GT GOP Action Center
Now for the fall
The Action Center does not slow down. Coffee & Conversation runs every Friday from 9:00 to 11:00 AM, and the Republican Prayer Meeting every Wednesday from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Both are drop-in; no RSVP, no cost.
On Friday, September 11, Michael D. LaFaive of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy joins us to talk about where Michigan’s tax dollars actually go — at 10:00 AM and again at 6:00 PM, same presentation both times, free and open to the public.
See the full calendar. We would like to see you there.