Queen Garris Continues Her Winning or Is It Losing Streak | Eastern NC Now

Queen Garris Continues Her Winning or Is It Losing Streak

BY: HOOD RICHARDSON

Some people say past behavior is a good indicator of future behavior. Beaufort County Republican Party Chairman, Queen Garris, seems to be the dictionary definition of this statement. Her entire term as Republican Party leader has been a dance from one warm cow pile to another.

Her first misstep came when she declared me to not have ex officio privileges simply because she said so. Never mind that the rules of the Party say that all elected to public office Republicans are ex-officio members of their respective Executive Committee. Those privileges include the right to speak, to make motions, to second motions and to debate at meetings. Queen Garris became so dedicated to removing me from the Republican Party that she filed charges against me for unwanted sexual advances and stalking. When asked to present evidence at the trial all she could say was that I attended meetings and asked questions. It took the judge about six seconds to declare there was not a case.

Queen Garris has other problems that involve mismanagement of Republican Party affairs including the appointment of the illegal Victory Committee, failure to adequately account for the spending of Party funds and to see to it that accurate and complete accounts are made to the State Board of Elections. Garris operates independently of her overseers which is the Beaufort County Republican Executive Committee.

The latest case of horribly bad judgment was to move the Beaufort County Republican Campaign headquarters from a street level (walk in) storefront on Gladden Street to a small office on the second floor of a building that requires a small elevator or a set of stairs to access. This building has electronic outside door locks which deny access for most of the day and during all weekends. The building is located at 155 East Second Street. There is no signage advertising the Party or our candidates. Queen Garris had the Party enter into a rental agreement without the approval of the Executive Committee.

This behavior delivers a stark message to the public. That message is: “We do not want to see you, or have you visit us and we do not have adequate room to be able to provide you with candidate signs and brochures”. Go away and leave us alone.

This behavior fits well with the strategy to get Queen Garris and her minions’ favorite candidates for commissioner elected. This is about how they plan to defeat conservative Commissioner Stan Deatherage. Queen Garris and her insiders are supporting Ashley Woolard and then John Edwards for commissioner. Queen Garris and her ilk are hoping to defeat Stan Deatherage. The Party website (on Facebook) has a clever advertisement that puts Ashley Woolard at the top followed by John Edwards with Stan Deatherage at the bottom.

Queen Garris and the Victory Committee will use the Party machinery (internet) to tell Republicans that Woolard is first choice. Ashley Woolard sits on the Victory Committee even though he is a candidate. This violates the Beaufort County Republican Party Rules.

The electronic medium that will help Woolard most is the email system that belongs to the State Party. The local Party Chairman has to authorize candidates for the use of this system. Queen Garris never reports who she allows to use it. The Republican party through poll workers tells voters that certain candidates are not true Republicans and identifies which Republicans you should be voting for.

Conservative Stan Deatherage has an uphill fight to win this fall. Conservative voters should see red flags and refuse to vote for Republicans endorsed by the Beaufort County Republican Party when poll workers are designating certain people as not being true Republicans. Voters should notify candidates who are identified by pole workers as not being true Republicans.