A 2015 photo of better times w John McGlasson (far left) with Cong Adam Kinzinger (center)
ROCKFORD – Earlier this week, IL GOP State Central Committeeman John McGlasson (16th) sent the following resignation letter to Illinois Republican Chairman Don Tracy and his fellow Committee members:
Dear Chairman Tracy and my fellow members of the Republican State Central Committee:
After my election as Livingston County Chairman in 2010, I attended my first meeting of the County Chairman’s Association. It was a great meeting which filled me with enthusiasm. It fired me up to attend my first meeting of the State Central Committee; dashing across the hall, it came as a great disappointment to hear that the meeting was closed and I was not allowed.
I vowed at that moment to earn a seat on the committee and try to open it up to rank and file party members like myself. After achieving that goal in 2012, it was wonderful that four other new committee members were elected with many of the same goals. Stan Bond, Fred Floreth, Blair Garber and Pastor Michael Neubert, and I joined two other members to change the committee.
We had some success in opening up the meetings, having the meetings scheduled a year in advance with agendas published well in advance, and the meeting sites and times announced. The committee began to adhere to the By-Laws and written treasurer’s reports became the norm. If these practices had continued it would have been a great tribute to Stan Bond, the foremost proponent of business- like operation of our committee. That these changes apparently were merely appeasements on the part of the leadership is sad, indeed.
As an example of my points, as I write this letter on May 29, 2021, no public notice of the upcoming State Central Committee meeting on June 12, 2021 can be found on the party website or by a search on the internet. It is again apparent the leadership of our party prefers to do their business behind closed doors.
Mr. Chairman, there was hope, upon your election as chairman that things might change. Yet the staff remains the same, the hired fund raisers and vendors are the same, the press releases are very much the same, the fund raising events continue to be directed to the wealthy, and the party continues to offer nothing more than criticism of the opposition and offers no new ideas about what we would do to save our state.
Lastly, the party has done little to show respect for the rank and file party members. Congressman Adam Kinzinger has openly shamed us by his comments on President Trump. While many county and township Republican Committees have made public statements, the state party has stood silent. At no time, did I ask the committee to censure Congressman Kinzinger. I did ask on several occasions that the committee publically distance itself from his comments and stand with the nearly two and one-half million Illinois Republicans that supported President Trump. One each occasion the leaders changed the subject to censure and closed the discussion. As one of those Illinois Republicans I am offended by his comments and this lack of action by the party. The Illinois Republican Party has proven itself to be disloyal to many of its most dedicated and hard-working members.
That being said, this message will serve as my resignation as the 16th Congressional District member of the Republican State Central Committee as soon as a successor is properly and fairly elected.
Sincerely,
John B. McGlasson
