I will admit that I haven’t been as involved in politics as I should have, but recent social media posts and letters to the OA prompted me to do a little research and educate myself. I knew that the Ector County Republican party (ECRP) had been headed by Tisha Crow for several years in her role as Republican Chair, and I knew that she was usually the only candidate on the ballot. In fact, Tisha Crow has not seen an opponent since 2016.
I found that, in the last election, an Odessa plumber wanted to run for the Republican Chair. The problem was that he needed two precinct chairs to support a second candidate. Because only one of the chairs would support him, we once again only had Tisha Crow on the ballot. I was shocked to learn that of the 19 or 20 Precinct Chairs, only TWO were elected. The remaining were appointed by Tisha and her Executive Board. It should be noted that the Executive Board consists of Precinct Chairs that she appointed.
The other thing that has really bothered me in the last election, is that the ECRP appeared to select a Republican candidate prior to the general election. Under the direction of Tisha, they appear to endorse their favorite candidate ignoring other Republican candidates. With this kind of control Tisha and her group can effectively hand pick the winners.
Early last year, I decided to try to contact the Precinct Chairs and ask if they would support an opponent to Tisha. I sent a message via social media to ECRP and asked for a list of the Precinct Chairs. I received an automated response asking me to send my request via email or visit their headquarters. I sent an email with my request and stopped by the office twice. I never received a response to my email and the office was closed both times I stopped by. I gave up when the election was over but the recent attention to the issue, prompted this letter.
If I can identify the Precinct Chairs, I plan to contact each one and ask them to support the voters having a choice in the next election. I encourage every voter to contact your Precinct Chair or call the ECRP office and ask that voters get a choice. I consider Tisha Crow a friend, but I also support term limits and the right to vote. Let the voters decide! Whether you like her or not, voters deserve the right to choose.
Brenda Worthen
Odessa
