DCRP Chairman Challenged in Upcoming Reorganization

Weeks out from the Davidson County Republican Party (DCRP) 2023 Reorganization Convention, the competition’s starting to heat up: buzz has been circulating since the announcement of the convention date (February 11th), but it wasn’t until this past Friday that Lonnie Spivak, a community leader and resident of Nashville, launched an official campaign challenging the current DCRP Chairman James “Jim” Garrett.

Spivak is, among other things, a former DCRP Regional Vice Chair; host of the Bellevue Breakfast Club (a local conservative meet-up group); a member of various committees, including the Davidson County Executive Committee; and a marketing professional. Indicating a need to mend broken fences— perhaps as a criticism of the current leadership— Spivak briefly outlined his vision for the future of the DCRP in a press release:  “I believe that I have the experience and vision necessary to lead the party in the coming years, and I look forward to mending fences and working with my fellow Republicans to ensure that our message for Nashville government is heard loud and clear.”

Though Spivak has not made additional announcements, it’s not unheard of for those running for Chair to come forward with a full crop of replacement committee members. The current committee has a few faces you may recognize from last year’s ballots: Recording Secretary Mark Woodward, for instance, narrowly lost his Republican primary bid in the District 2 race for Metro Nashville Public School Board, and Regional Vice Chair Dia Hart recently ran against incumbent Rep. Jason Powell for Tennessee House District 53.

Though one may argue that bringing forward an entirely new slate of members has the potential to create some future uncertainty in the county, others don’t seem to regard it as any more disruptive than the proceedings of past reorganization conventions.

BONA FIDES WIN RACES

Marred with casualties of candidates cut down or passed over due to bylaw discrepancies, the Davidson County GOP’s credentialing process was given some strategic guardrails this year. Starting from the top, candidates for the chairman position are required to formally submit their announcement to run one week before the convention. Candidates for the remaining positions—First Vice Chairman, Second Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Communications Secretary, Recording Secretary and the seven Regional Vice-Chairs— must submit their announcement by February 7th. Finally, anyone wishing to participate in the reorganization process must register prior to the convention. All this is to preemptively vet both the candidates and the registered Republicans planning to cast a vote during the convention.

There will be a chance to hear from candidates running for the DCRP County Executive Committee positions this Thursday at the Bold Patriot, starting at 6:30 p.m.