Before 1992, there was no local Republican Party in Putnam County.  Not as many people here voted Republican in those days and, in fact, when someone asked for a Republican ballot in a primary election, it created quite a stir.  Poll workers had to search for blue ballot slips, all the while hoping to convince the voter he really wanted to vote in the Democrat primary. Voting machines had to be reprogrammed so that Republican voters could use them.   Republicans did not run for local elected office in Putnam County or, if they did, they qualified to run as Democrats.  These occurrences are now just memories, thanks to a handful of visionaries who believed things could change.

 

 

A HISTORY OF THE

PUTNAM COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY

 

The PCRP was formed in 1992 by Eatonton lawyer Frank Ford who, together with about six others, decided to try to influence that year’s election.   Apparently, it was still a little early for most Putnam County Republicans to "come out," and the party became dormant in 1993.  It was revived in 1994 with only a handful of members and has been active ever since.   

 

During much of the 1990’s, the PCRP was largely a social organization.  There were still few members, and they met so infrequently that when the treasurer died, the chairman did not find out about it until the following year!   Although the PCRP leadership made no organized attempt to recruit Republican candidates, through the efforts of individual members, Republican candidates qualified to run in the 1996 election and again in the 2000 election for county commission seats, sheriff, and clerk of court.   None were successful, but Putnam County saw two political parties involved in local elections for the first time in recent history.

 

In 2001, the party became very politically active.   A slate of new officers was elected at that year's county convention, and the party's first Chairman, Frank Ford, again took the reins.  A Steering Committee consisting of Alan Foster, Ralph Perdomo, Wayne Merritt, Lloyd Brown, and Ford began to meet monthly to chart the party's course.   The general membership met five to six times a year in ever increasing numbers.   A PCRP website was established, the party obtained a telephone number and P. O. Box, and a newsletter - The Light - was launched. 

 

Membership dues were collected for the first time in 2001, and still the numbers grew.   Initially, 99% of members were newcomers to the county and most of them lived on Lake Oconee, although this would eventually change. The party's focus was entirely local – the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education.   Party leadership devised recruiting strategies to identify candidates for those two boards and began to set their sights on the 2004 elections.  One strategy involved providing facts to the electorate about important local government issues.  Individual PCRP members became subject-matter experts in various facets of local government: Lloyd Brown and Dick Dalton scrutinized county taxes, spending, and budgets; Kelly Galvin became the party’s redistricting guru; Alan Foster shone the light  of common sense  on the county's proposed administrative building and abandonment of the courthouse square; and Steve Hersey became a special friend of the School Board, attending every meeting and learning so much about the school system that he was appointed by board members to fill the unexpired term of the former chairman toward the end of  2002.   

 

In those days, the PCRP had elected no local officials but still managed to effect positive change on the “Good Ol' Boys” system that had controlled Putnam County government for well over a century.   The Steering Committee organized campaigns to write fact-based and informative letters to the local papers and to give reporters story leads.   Numerous PCRP members attended all local government board meetings and, more often than not, spoke out publicly at the meetings.   The PCRP was able to attract such dignitaries to their meetings as then- State Senator Sonny Perdue, Sheriff Howard Sills, and business man and well-known radio talk show host, then-U. S. Senate candidate Herman Cain.   In 2002, the PCRP helped elect the first Republican Governor of Georgia since Reconstruction, Sonny Perdue. 

 

As a result of three years of hard work, the PCRP brought much-needed light to the local political process and began gaining many prominent native Putnam County members to add to the ever-growing list of newcomers.  By 2004, two of the worst members of the county commission did not even attempt re-election.   Republican candidates qualified for every local seat up for election that year.   For the first time, the Board of Education saw three Republicans become members, and two Republicans join the Board of Commissioners.   One of them, Billy Webster, attributes his education on local government issues and his decision to run for office to the letters and commentary of the PCRP during 2003 and 2004.  Also in 2004, the PCRP helped to elect State Senator Johnny Grant.

 

Two Constitutional Officers and a member of the Board of Commissioners left the Democrat Party in 2004-2005.  In 2006, the PCRP helped re-elect State Senator Johnny Grant and saw longtime Democrat State Representative Mickey Channel join the Republican Party.   Almost all of the state-wide office candidates visited Putnam County at least once in 2006, and several, such as Georgia’s first Republican Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, came here many times at the invitation of the PCRP.  In 2007, Republicans hold almost as many elected offices in Putnam County as does the other party, and PCRP members continue to affect public opinion and effect political change.