To
the Florida Federation of Young Republicans delegates and my friends:
In
the brief time since I attended my first FFYR Quarterly meeting in February
2013, I have developed strong relationships with amazingly devoted Young
Republicans from around the state. I am humbled by the trust that these
Florida YR leaders have shown by asking me to consider a candidacy for
Vice Chairman of the FFYR.
In
case you don’t know me already:
I live in
Windermere with my wife Michele, daughter Madeleine, and son Davis, and we are
members of Holy Family Catholic Church in Orlando.
I have worked in
commercial construction management for almost 17 years and am now a Project
Manager in Central Florida for one of the largest privately-held construction
firms in the country.
I am the
President of the Orange County Young Republicans and the chairman of the FFYR
Platform and Policy Committee.
I was the “OCYR
of the Year” for 2012 and the "Officer of the Year" for
2013 because of my efforts in promoting club activism on policy issues and
in volunteering with multiple election campaigns, including Rick Santorum’s
presidential run.I now serve as one of
the three co-chairs of Santorum’s Patriot Voices organization in Florida.
In October 2013,
I was chosen by BusinessForce to participate in the Central Florida Political
Leadership Institute's exclusive annual program for educating prospective
candidates on campaigning, governing and public policy.
For
the Republican Party, we know that our 18-40 age group is a critical
demographic that deserves a seat at the table with those who are setting policy
and calculating the political consequences of those policy decisions. I
was honored to lead the statewide effort to adopt a Young Republican
platform last year in the tradition of the one that Ronald Reagan
spoke about at the 1976 Convention, “a platform that is a banner of bold,
unmistakable colors, with no pastel shades,” which we should carry
throughout the state to communicate to our fellow young Floridians the obvious
differences between ourselves and the Democrats. I hope to be able to
work further in the year ahead to include FFYR leadership in state
Executive/Legislative policy discussions and communications.
In
this upcoming year, we will continue to prove how invaluable Young Republicans
are to the electoral success of this party. We have an important few
months of critical campaigning ahead of us, and I will put forth the same hard
work, motivation and dedication that I have exhibited in three short years
of involvement with the Orange County Young Republicans into the role of Vice
Chairman of the FFYR.
I
am proud to be running as part of a team that is dedicated to continuous
improvement of an already award-winning organization. We plan on improving attendance at our
quarterly meetings, filling out all of the Federation’s committees to grow the
talent of its members, and developing the strength of the Federation’s regions.
Like
Reagan said in his acceptance speech at the RNC in Detroit in July 1980, the
Republican Party may have internal quarrels, “but only as to the method of
attaining a goal.” There is no argument about the goal itself – it’s
the same as it was 34 years ago – we must win, because our party is the
only one that has the “positive programs for solving the nation's problems; a
party ready to build a new consensus with all those across the land who share a
community of values embodied in these words: family, work, neighborhood, peace
and freedom.”
I
would be honored to earn your support this weekend in Ft. Myers, and to allow
me to serve this organization and to lead the achievement of our mutual goals
for the benefit of the Republican Party in Florida.
Thank you, may God bless you, and may He continue to bless
the United States of America.
Four months ago, I formally announced my candidacy for this
office, and tonight I gratefully accept the nomination for the presidency of
the Orange County Young Republicans.
Michele and I have met some amazing people in Central Florida
and around the state since we joined this club about 2½ years ago.In this brief time, I have been privileged to
be chosen as a state co-chair of Rick Santorum's
Patriot Voices organization, to be honored as the "2012 OCYR of the
Year", and to be elected earlier this year as the Vice President of this
club.I want to thank Christian Waugh
and Eric Jontz for your guidance and your faith in me.
We have a big year ahead of us,
with critical elections coming after our traditional Hob Nob event in July.With training, hard
work and dedication, we will regain a GOP majority in the Orange County state
legislative delegation, by holding our current seats and flipping 2 seats from
(D) to (R).Young Republicans like
ourselves will be on the frontline to re-elect the Republican Congressmen that
represent our County, and we will lead the way in securing the crucial I-4 corridor for Governor Scott
and the entire Cabinet.We will continue
to host the best guest speakers at our regular monthly meetings, to provide
access for our members to the leading politicians in Central Florida.
For the Republican party, our 18-40 age group is a critical
demographic that deserves a seat at the table with those who are setting policy
and calculating the political consequences of those policy decisions.I’ve been honored to lead the statewide
effort to adopt a Young Republican platform in the tradition of the one that Ronald
Reagan spoke about at the 1976 Convention, “a platform that is a banner of
bold, unmistakable colors, with no pastel shades,” that we can carry throughout
the state to communicate to our fellow young Floridians the obvious differences
between ourselves and the Democrats.We will continue to add young people into our
Party, and we will strive to have the most members of any YR club in Florida.
Like Reagan said in his acceptance speech at the RNC in
Detroit in July 1980, the Republican Party may have internal quarrels, “but only as to the method of attaining a goal.”There is no argument about the goal – it’s
the same as it was 33 years ago – our party is the only one that has the
“positive programs for solving the nation's problems; a party ready to build a
new consensus with all those across the land who share a community of values
embodied in these words: family, work, neighborhood, peace and freedom.”
I am humbled by the additional responsibility conferred by your
continued trust in me, and I will not nonchalantly watch our county, state or
country suffer under mediocre leadership at any level.The Governor likes to say “let’s get to
work!” and I couldn’t agree more.You
and I will prove how invaluable Young Republicans are to this party and I am
excited to start working on these goals together with you.
Thank you, may God bless you this Christmas season, and may
He continue to bless the United States of America.