Some local Republicans say the Ector County GOP leadership only wants to follow the rules that keep the current leadership in place.
Richard Pierce, a 63-year-old Odessa plumber who ran for the city council two years ago, wants to seek the chairmanship of the Ector County Republican Party, but his bid has been thwarted by a political technicality and he is unhappy about it.
With the filing deadline for getting into the March 1 primary looming Monday, Richard Pierce said Thursday that he “had thought we would have a free and open election, but it doesn’t look like it unless somebody changes their mind.”
Having run for the Odessa City Council in 2020 and settling his runoff with Councilman Tom Sprawls with a coin flip and losing, Pierce said he needed the support of the only two GOP precinct chairmen who had been elected to their posts, but only Judy Calloway backed him.
Stringently criticizing current Party Chair Tisha Crow for not welcoming a challenge, Pierce said the only other elected precinct chairman, Aubrey Mayberry, didn’t support him and had not responded to his entreaties.
“I’m disappointed because I would like to get on the ballot,” he said.
Only 19 of the county’s 40 voting precincts have chairmen, Crow said Thursday afternoon, adding that she had not appointed any precinct leaders but that the County GOP Executive Committee had appointed them and they were subsequently elected in the primaries.
Odessan Ronnie Lewis challenges that assertion and says precinct chairs are only on the ballot if opposed – and that Crow is not being honest about her appointments to the precinct chairs.
Lewis also said the Secretary of State’s website shows only Democrat precinct chairs registered and no Ector County Republicans registered as precinct chairs. Lewis said he presumes that is because Crow hasn’t filed the paperwork.
“So they want to follow certain rules but only the ones that keep her in power,” Lewis said.
Crow said the state legislature passed a law in the last session that requires at least two precinct chairmen or 10 percent of the committee to sign a petition allowing a candidate to run for the county chairmanship. Crow said the law was passed because a candidate had been elected Travis County GOP chair whom none of that executive committee knew or wanted.
“This just came up and only one precinct chair, Judy Calloway, supported Richard, although Judy was one of those who signed a pledge for me when we had our last board meeting on Nov. 11,” Crow said. “Mayor Javier Joven could sign for Richard, but the mayor has said he will not sign for anyone.”
She said she is not averse to competition, but the executive committee does not want anyone else for a leader.
Efforts to reach Calloway were unsuccessful.
Lewis, a 66-year-old longtime Odessan and Republican, was also critical of Crow’s leadership. “I don’t like what she has been doing over the years, appointing precinct chairs when someone dropped out or left,” Lewis said.
“She runs it with an iron fist and expects complete loyalty. I heard they all had to sign an oath to be loyal to her. She has about a half-dozen members who make these decisions.”
Lewis said he supports Pierce’s right to run and that he would run himself if the way were cleared. “Eighty percent of the Ector County Republican Women’s Club wants another candidate, but they’ve got us blocked,” said Lewis,
“It’s not right and they know it’s not right.”
Another disgruntled Republican, Tim Edgmon, said an executive committee member had told Pierce that the committee was happy with Crow and didn’t want anyone else.
“They’re all hesitant, but I believe Richard should be allowed to run,” Edgmon said. “Tisha should allow it.”
