It is clear from the Forsyth County News' critical editorial against the Forsyth County Republican Party that some of our recent actions have struck a nerve. As Chairman of the local party, I appreciate the opportunity to respond to some of the comments made by its editorial staff.

By law, we cannot prevent any candidate from qualifying as a Republican. However, one would hope that office seekers would have the integrity to select the party most personifying his or her beliefs. It would be difficult to imagine John Kerry running for president as a Republican. Yet Forsyth County, for better or worse, is a one-party county. Therefore almost every candidate will assign to themselves the label of Republican when seeking office, regardless of their true beliefs. To do otherwise would ensure defeat.

It is the position of the Forsyth County GOP Executive Committee that at least two individuals have chosen this course – the Board of Education incumbents. Simply stated, we felt that their actions taken while in office clearly demonstrated that they are not in keeping with our party’s conservative platform. As such, we privately returned to them their qualifying fees. It was the newspaper that made this a story.

We believe that a true Republican is defined by actions rather than words or labels. A true Republican would not allow the unelected school superintendent to issue press releases opposing our Republican governor’s initiatives, to screen and pre-approve comments from the public, nor give her a five-digit raise in the middle of a contract with no explanation. It would not take intense public pressure to prevent a true Republican from tampering with the election process by using special elections to increase taxes. A true Republican would not radically alter school start times and disrupt the lives of parents and teachers without any public discussion.

In rebuking us for our actions, the editor quoted from our national platform in an attempt to discredit us, proving once again that even the devil can quote scripture. If the line "so we welcome into our ranks all who may hold differing opinions" were the key phrase, we would be no different from Democrats. What makes us different are the words that the paper ignored - "While steadfast in our commitment to our ideals."

There is ample room in the party to disagree on many issues, but you cannot call yourself a Republican and ignore the heart and soul of the party platform. The Forsyth County GOP will no longer tolerate opportunists who use our mantle to win elections, then govern contrary to the basic principles that we hold dear.

These principles are not simply held by only "those few people who attend the party's regular meetings and who take the time to vote for officers". Our party officers were elected by our County Convention, for which over 500 people were elected delegates. We won with 83% of the votes cast.

The editorial promotes a myth that the return of the qualifying fees of Pete Amos and Pam Bowman is imminent. It is true that I have never seen either of these individuals at a GOP meeting or function in my nine years of involvement. But my comments that those two "certainly are not Republicans" were also based on the fact that neither had stated in their candidacy announcements their intention to seek the Republican nomination. By contrast, a person with core Republican principles would want to identify with our party’s philosophy rather than ignore it.

I hear almost daily from people expressing disappointment in our national Republican leaders for failing to lead. The Republican voter longs for strong, conservative leadership that will create positive change in our government and hold our Republican officials accountable to our principles. We are not here to win popularity contests or to please the Forsyth County News. We are here to restore credibility and accountability to our party. Under my watch, we will never waver in our resolve.

How have we done so far? Our monthly meetings have grown rapidly in attendance. We have successfully recruited conservative candidates to run for office. We are receiving calls, emails, and letters on a near daily basis from conservatives thanking us for taking a bold, principled stand. We are succeeding because we demand accountability. Voters are capable of making intelligent decisions, once they have all the facts. We will not allow the media to spin the truth without response.

There is an old saying that sometimes you are known better by your enemies than by your friends. When I look at the politicians and editorial boards that have attacked us, I find great comfort in knowing that we are heading in the right direction.

R Gray Smith

Chairman, Forsyth County Republican Party