Meet the Candidates – September 27

With the primary over and the November Midterms looming, come and meet some of the Republican candidates for office – from Congress to County Commission and in between.

NOTE – Because of construction at our usual meeting place (The Paddock Restaurant) we will be meeting at the Terrace instead. The entrance is just south of the Paddock entrance.

Participants as of today: (Click on the picture for their website)

Senate District 24 Erik Ankner	Senate District 26 Steve Byers	House District 87 Mike Caruso	House District 88 Ros Stevens
House District 89 Daniel Zapata	House District 92 Dorcas Hernandez	House District 93 Saulis Banionis	School District 6 Jen Showalter
Port District 5 Roderick Clarke

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Republican Barbeque on June 25th

The Republican Club of the Palm Beaches is happy to support the President’s Council’s

We will be having no separate club meeting in June – come out and visit our booth at the BBQ!

Kennel Club President Pat Rooney at May Meeting

Pat Rooney’s perspective as the President of the Palm Beach Kennel Club and also a 6 year Representative in the Florida House is unique. The PBKC in particular is (and was as a dog track) more regulated than many industries and he has some stories to tell. With the current business climate in the county (inflation, supply chain issues, workforce housing, etc.) and the impact to his business of the expected drawn out court fight over the Seminole Compact, how a business can navigate these challenges will be discussed.

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In his more than three decades here, Pat Rooney has become a successful businessman and respected community leader in Palm Beach County. He is currently the President of the Palm Beach Kennel Club. Pat was a Representative in the Florida House (District 85) from 2010 to 2016, which included Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Juno Beach, the Acreage, and a part of West Palm Beach. He has also served as Governing Board Member for South Florida Water Management District from 2007-2010. Pat was also a sports co-host on local ESPN 760 AM from 2003-2010.

Mr. Rooney also serves as a Director for the Autism Project of Palm Beach County and is a Founding Board Member for Potentia Academy in Greenacres. Pat also serves as a Director and Co-Chair for the not-for-profit Rooney’s Golf Foundation, Inc., which raises money for local charities through various events held every year. He is a Board Member of The Children’s Healthcare Charity, Inc. (The Honda Classic). He has served as the Vice President for Renaissance Learning Academy, Former Director and Board President of Home Safe of Palm Beach County, Director and Board President of the FAU Honors College, Trustee of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches and Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce. Pat served as a Board Member of Forum Club of the Palm Beaches and Biz PAC.

Mr. Rooney graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1986, went on to Villanova University School of Law for his Juris Doctor in 1989 and then earned his MBA from Lehigh University in 1992. Pat and his wife Patti have four children – Mary, Frannie,Patrick III and Anthony – and live in West Palm Beach. They are active members of St. Ignatius Loyola Cathedral in Palm Beach Gardens.

Are We Ready for Elections 2022? – Redistricting, Election Integrity and Candidate Support

Is there going to be a “red wave” this year? Nancy Pelosi doesn’t seem too worried. Her minions are busy gerrymandering districts and weakening voting laws. There can only be a “red wave” if there are fair districts, VBM ballots are not abused, and cheating is prevented.

Please join us on April 26th for a session on the outlook in Palm Beach County and what the GOP is doing to prepare.

Fred will will explain how the new PBC districts are affecting our candidates, and how we plan to address election integrity and support our slate. Pam will describe the new REC Regional organization and how her northern region is gearing up to work the coming elections. They will also talk about what YOU can do to help.

The primary election is only 4-1/2 months away. Let’s make this a winning year!

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Fred Scheibl provides data, analysis and digital messaging for the candidates and leaders of the county GOP as Political Director. He is also a co-founder of the Palm Beach County Tea Party, Vice President of this club, and a 30 year IBM veteran.

Pam Wohlschlegel is one of seven Regional Directors of the Republican Executive Committee, responsible for the northern part of the county. A retired product manager and engineer at Hewlett Packard and Agilent who was the original President of the Palm Beach County Tea Party, Pam has been active in PBC politics for many years, most recently in supporting the winning candidates in the Jupiter Municipal races.

Rick Roth to Highlight 2022 Session on 3/22

The 2022 Legislative Session which ends on March 11 has been both productive and controversial. From keeping sex and gender out of the curriculum in the early grades (Parental Rights in Education Bill, aka “Don’t say Gay”), blocking CRT and any training that teaches a person’s race, sex or nationality are “morally superior (Individual Freedom Bill, aka “Stop Woke Act”), banning abortions after 15 weeks, instituting an elections crime bureau and other election reforms, much has been accomplished. And of course there is redistricting.

To make sense of all of this, HD85 Representative Rick Roth will be our guest on March 22. In addition to the items above, he will also bring us up to speed on the legislation that is important to him in serving Northern Palm Beach County.

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Representative Rick Roth was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach and he was raised in Belle Glade Florida. Rick graduated from Belle Glade High School in 1970. He went on to study at Emory University where he graduated with a degree in Mathematics. Family life is busy for Rick and his wife of over 40 years, Jeanie. Most importantly to him are his children, Lindsay, Ryan and Ashley and his grandchildren, Hannah, Ezra and Ella. He is a founding member of the Truth Point Church in West Palm Beach.

As the President and principal owner of Roth Farms, Inc. and Ray’s Heritage, LLC Packinghouse, Rick has been a driving force of the agricultural community in western Palm Beach County.

Representative Roth has served in numerous leadership roles in his community, including on the Board of Directors for the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. Rick supports many community organizations, including Florida Association of Food Banks, Farmers Feeding Florida and the South Florida Sweet Corn Fiesta.

Representative Roth’s community service includes work with the Central Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce and Belle Glade Rotary Club to name a few. He is the Co-Founder of Farm City Week for the local Chambers and hosts many educational Farm Tours for Elementary Schools.

Representative Roth was elected to serve in the Florida Legislature as a State Representative for District 85. Rick’s election is a culmination of his 35 years of leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. District 85 covers the northern and central parts of Palm Beach County including the Town of Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Village of North Palm Beach and parts of Jupiter and Loxahatchee Groves.

Candidate Forum – The importance of Local Government Elections

If you live in one of the 39 municipalities in Palm Beach County, about 25% of your county property taxes is levied by your city, town or village government. Your police and fire / rescue services may be provided by city employees, or by the county (PBSO and county fire/rescue) but you are paying for them through these taxes. Many municipalities have their own park systems, sports leagues, water systems – even in one case an electrical utility. Building codes, planning and zoning, sign ordinances, code enforcement, traffic management and strategic development plans – all are managed by your local officials.

• So do you know who your Mayor and City Commission or Council members are?
• Is your city being run the way you would like?
• Do you know what happens at your City Council or Commission meetings?

A typical resident may not know the answers to these questions and choose not to participate in the municipal elections as turnout is typically around 10%.

There is a municipal election coming up on March 8. At our next lunch meeting on February 22, we will be introducing you to some of the candidates for these offices who share your values.

Since these elections are non-partisan, you may not know to which party an official belongs, and most decisions they make are not particularly ideological. As Republicans though we believe in smaller government, lower taxes, fewer regulations on business, and free speech. If a municipal candidate is also a Republican, they are likely to share our values. Consequently, the Republican Party of Palm Beach County seeks out these incumbent officials and candidates, and provides them with assistance in the form of voter data, email support and monetary assistance. Currently about 37% of incumbent municipal officials are Republicans, as are about a third of the candidates on the ballot in March.

We are inviting candidates from the north and central municipalities to introduce themselves to you, say a little about what is important in their town or city, and what they will do if elected. They hail from Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, and Boynton Beach.

We hope you will get to know these candidates, and support them in their campaigns, even if you do not live in their town. What happens in the local communities affects us all and actions by these local leaders tends to spread. You may also see some of these folks running for higher office in the future.

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PBCGOP Chairman Michael Barnett at January Meeting

2022 will be an active political year, with the CD20 and HD88 Special elections in January, municipal elections in March, county-wide non-partisan and primary elections in August, and the general election in November. Besides the election of the statewide offices of Governor, cabinet, and Senator, with redistricting, everything is up for grabs. We will elect Congressmen, Florida House members and Senators as well as county commissioners and school board members from newly defined districts with changing demographics.

Will this be a “wave” election like 2010 when opposition to the Obama administration woke up the tea party nation and swept the GOP back into the House? Can the country be saved from socialism, vaccine mandates and Covid lockdowns?

To help us make sense of it all, the club will host PBCGOP Chair Michael Barnett in January.

Please join us and be prepared to get active and involved for your favorite candidate(s) as the races heat up.

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Michael Barnett currently serves as Chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County. He was born in Queens, New York but has lived in Boca Raton since 1987. He graduated from Boca Raton High School in 1995, the University of South Florida in 2004 with a BA in Political Science, and the University of Miami School of Law in 2007 with a JD degree. Michael has been practicing law since 2007.

Michael has been a life long conservative Republican. A grassroots activist since 1994, he was involved early on with the College Republicans, Young Republicans, and became an REC committeeman in August, 2010. He was elected Secretary of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County in December, 2010, Vice Chairman in December, 2012, and Chairman in December, 2014.

As Secretary and Vice Chairman, Michael helped start the Party’s black and minority outreach program, with a heavy focus on the large local Haitian community. The Party’s activities and successes in Palm Beach County have made news across the state.

Michael has been grassroots-oriented but has also been able to unite the local Party, earning unanimous support of Republicans across the entire spectrum. “Our job is to get Republicans elected but we must never ever sacrifice principles or values. I am a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage social and fiscal conservative. I believe the Party must stick to its principles while welcoming other groups who share our conservative values.”

Michael is an active parishioner at Ascension Catholic Church in Boca Raton. He’s a member of the Knights of Columbus, has been on political and missions trips to Haiti, and volunteers at The Soup Kitchen in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Charles Bender, Monique McCall on December 14

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Charles Bender is the Founding CEO of Place of Hope, a faith-based and state-licensed family-style residential child-caring agency for abused and neglected children, located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He earned his B.A. degree in Sociology from Florida Atlantic University and also studied at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.

Charles came to Place of Hope in 1999 following many years of work with various housing, social, and human services organizations throughout Palm Beach County. He has participated in numerous community committees, task forces, special initiatives, and boards. He has been a team member of several other local leading organizations including: Palm Beach County Housing and Community Development, Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, Inc., the City of Delray Beach Community Development Division. The majority of Charles’ work has involved low-income individuals and families, homeless and substance abusing populations, and at-risk/dependent children and youth. Prior to spearheading implementation of Place of Hope, Charles was a primary volunteer in the multi-year visioning and development processes while still a “vision” of Christ Fellowship (founding church).

Charles has significant experience developing and administering social programs and low-income housing initiatives, executing growth plans, implementing federal, state, and local funding programs, building organizational capacity and community coalitions, enhancing service delivery systems, raising capital and annual operating funds, and managing overall non-profit operations.

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Monique McCall’s unique appeal comes from her ability to forge new paths in her life, and take charge when the road gets rocky. She has earned her way into our hearts with several collaborations with Grammy Award winning Producers who just knew she had the right stuff. From early recordings with Rudy Perez and Joel Numa, to Bryan Todd, to Skidd Mills, Monique has only worked with the best. Continuing in the tradition of excellence, in 2020 Monique further upped the ante by adding the legendary “Hit Man” arranger Charles Calello to her team, bringing sophistication, undeniable hit pedigree, and elegance back to country.

In 2018 her single “Feel like Florida” got airplay on 42 stations worldwide. Further increasing appeal to international dancefloors, she teamed up with Number 1 Billboard Remixer/ Producers Mr. Mig, Mike Cruz and Austin Leeds who between them have over 50+ Number 1 Club Play Chart toppers. The song also is the official theme song of the radio show, “Stirrin it Up with Anita”, featured weekly on 95.9/106.9 FM’s West Palm/ Treasure Coast.

Sid Dinerstein on the Implications of the Virginia Elections

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Sid Dinerstein is a leader with a passion for Republican politics. He leads by example, motivates teams, and unites diverse groups to achieve a common goal.

With a Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College in Economics and an MBA from City College in Statistics, Sid built and eventually sold JBS Associates, inc., an international check guarantee service with more than 600 employees.

Sid was Chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County from 2002-2012 and served the county as Chairman of the Palm Tran Service board from 2002-2010..

A writer of political books, Sid’s book “Adults Only: For Those Who Love Their Country More Than Their Party” was a Finalist in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Current Events/Political.

Peter Feaman on Creeping Socialism in our Country

Peter Feaman

RNC Representative Peter Feaman will be our guest, to share his thoughts on these issues.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Program Noon – 1PM, Buffet starts at 11:30AM
Cash Bar Available

Palm Beach Kennel Club – Paddock Restaurant
1111 N Congress Ave
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
MAP

$25/Members $30/Guests
Pay at the door.

Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:

or by emailing info@gopclubpb.org, or by calling 561-855-0749.

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Peter Feaman was elected in 2016 and again in 2020 to a four-year term as the national committeeman of the Republican Party of Florida, and serves on the RPOF Executive Committee.

As a practicing trial attorney, Mr. Feaman was recognized by the Florida Trend magazine as one of Florida’s “Elite Lawyers” in the field of business and commercial litigation in 2011. He has a JD degree from the Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, and a BA in Political Science from Union College in Schenectady, NY.

In 2007, Mr. Feaman published his first book entitled “WAKE UP, AMERICA!” subtitled, “Understanding Jihad for Dummies!” His second book “The Next Nightmare: How Political Correctness Will Destroy America” with a forward by former Congressman Allen West, was published in 2012. Mr. Feaman has appeared on Fox News and numerous radio talk shows throughout the United States to discuss the threat of radical Islam, current political issues and how political correctness will destroy America.

  Please respect Club rules: Cell Phones Silenced, Business Casual Attire.
Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
PO Box 2585
West Palm Beach, FL 33402
(561) 855-0749

October 11, 2021 | Filed Under blog, events | Leave a Comment 

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