Oceana GOP chair stepping down

Bob Carr, chair of the Oceana County Republican Party, announced this week that he will not seek another term.

Carr emailed a letter to OCP, and a portion of it states: “I am writing this letter to let republicans know that I will not be running for another term as their chair at our next convention which will be late this November after the general election at which time a new GOP county leadership will be elected. This election will decide which direction the Oceana County Republican Party will take.”

“The reasons for my non-running may be many but can be summed up by simply saying that I lack the where-with-all to engage and encourage fellow republicans to join and take part in our party and have burned myself out trying. This is a failure on my part, I seem to lack whatever it takes to build the party. My obvious failure to relate to county-elected officials is apparent by their lack of attendance at our monthly meetings and our recent county convention.

“Speaking of our county convention, of the 21 qualifying county officials/candidates who would have had a vote, only three showed up to vote at our convention. I did invite them all and talked to most at least once.  My own case illustrates my failure,” Carr continues. “I am a county road commissioner and was the only one of the four republicans on the commission to attend the convention.

“I have spent the last six years of my life devoted to helping the republican party and the conservative ideas it represents to the exclusion of what most people would call ‘having a life,’ all of which was for no pay,” he writes. “I was proud and happy to do that, however it saddens me that I have failed in my efforts to lead the party.”

Carr’s letter states the the lack of participation is leading to local voter apathy and low voter turnouts. “Apathy starts from the top and trickles down,” he writes.