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Central Committee:
Wayne Parke, Chairman
Mary Jo Kaiser, Political Director
Dottie Thomas, Vice Chairman
Lon Walters, Secretary
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News and Upcoming Events Tuesday, March 26, 2019
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 Thank you for a Successful 2019 Lincoln Day Celebration
Last Thursday evening, March 21, 2019, the Vanderburgh County Republican Party held its annual Lincoln Day Dinner at the Evansville Country Club. This year’s Keynote Speaker, Indiana Senator Mike Braun, shared his story of what it took to win the US Senate seat from incumbent Joe Donnelly, and what the first few months as Indiana’s Junior Senator have held. Braun promised to continue helping President Trump advance an agenda that is good for Hoosiers and America. Prior to Senator Braun taking the podium, introductory speeches were given by guest speakers Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, 8th District Congressman Dr. Larry Bucshon, and Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill lead the gathering of approximately 180 in the Pledge of Allegiance and in the Invocation. The crowd of 180 were also treated to heartfelt renditions of the the National Anthem and America the Beautiful by vocalist Jordan Duncan. Chairman Wayne Parke presided over the event.
At the end of the Lincoln Day proceedings, Chairman Wayne Parke presented the 2019 Republican of the Year award to long time public servant, and current County Treasurer, Susan Kirk. Prior to the naming of Susan as this year’s recipient, previous award recipients Wayne Parke, Lloyd Winnecke, Frank Peterlin, and Kevin Harrison were recognized.
The Vanderburgh County Republican Party would like to thank everyone that helped make this year’s Lincoln Day Dinner a huge success!
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Click above to Watch LDD 2019 Presentation |
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Susan Kirk 2019 Republican Of The Year Â
Susan Kirk was named the 2019 recipient of the Republican of the Year Award at the conclusion of last Thursday evening’s Vanderburgh County Lincoln Day Dinner. As has been the practice in past years, the introduction of the award winner is prefaced with facts about the individual’s life and accomplishments prior to revealing the name of the recipient.
 The following remarks were made by VCRP Chairman Wayne Parke in announcing this year’s winner, Susan Kirk.
Our Republican of the Year honoree’s parents taught their child to be honest, fair and to always remember— that a public servant should be dedicated to serve the public—not themselves. This year’s recipient began their career in government 46 years ago, during their Father’s second term as Vanderburgh County Treasurer. It is from him, our recipient started learning the fundamentals of County government and the love of public service.
Our recipient has been the Supervisor of Elections, Voter Registration Manager, and Community Development Coordinator of DMD.
Our Recipient was elected County Clerk 16 years ago. The Clerk’s office is the largest County office in local government with 50 plus employees. The Vanderburgh County Clerk duties include managing the Election Office. Our recipient piloted the projects of early voting in libraries and the use of vote centers– that have been a huge success.
For R & R, our recipient drove drag racing cars at Chandler. Her favorite car being a 1969 Dodge Dart. Our recipient likes to Sky Dive and ride motorcycles.
Our recipient has a son named Wayne and two grandchildren Emma and Everett and two dogs Dexter and Cali.Â
Ladies and Gentlemen——our “2019 Republican of the Year” recipient is—- Susan Kirk!
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Early Voting (Absentee In-Person) begins at the Vanderburgh County Election Office on
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 !
 The first day that a voter may vote an absentee ballot for the 2019 Primary Election is Tuesday April 9, 2019. All registered voters in Indiana are eligible to vote in-person at the county election board office beginning 28 days before Election Day.
Early voting at the Election Office will be 8:00 am – 4:00 pm weekdays starting Tuesday April 9 and conclude at Noon on Monday May 6, 2019.
To vote absentee by mail, complete the APPLICATION FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT found at the Vanderburgh County Clerk Elections web page and mail it to:
Vanderburgh County Election
P.O. Box 3343
Evansville, IN 47732-3343
Absentee ballot applications and forms can also be found on the Indiana Voters Portal . The deadline for absentee-by-mail applications to be received by the Election Office for the 2019 Primary Election is 11:59 p.m., April 29, 2019.
If you have any questions, please call the Election Office at 812-435-5122. The Vanderburgh County Election Office is located at :
1 NW ML King Jr. BLVD ,Evansville, IN
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Early Voting at Libraries and on Saturdays :
Early Voting for the Primary Election will expand to Saturdays beginning April 27, 2019. Early Voting at Libraries will be held for 1 week starting Monday, April 29, 2019. All Early Vote Locations and dates are:
 * Election Office :
April 9, 2019 – May 3, 2019 (Mon – Fri) from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
May 6 (Mon) – 8:00 am to NOON
 * Saturday Voting at Election Office:
April 27, 2019 (Sat.) 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
May 4, 2019Â (Sat.) 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
 * Saturday Voting at Northeast Park Baptist & Cedar Hall School:
April 27, 2019 (Sat.) 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
May 4, 2019Â (Sat.) 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
 *Early Voting Weekdays at Libraries:
  (Central, McCollough, Northpark, Oaklyn, and Red Bank Libraries)
April 29, 2019 – May 2, 2019 (Mon- Thurs) noon to 6:00 pm
May 3, 2019 -Â (Fri) noon-5:00 pm
For a list of Early Voting times and locations refer to County Clerk Early Voting page.
Contact the Election Office at 812-435-5122 if you have questions.
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Remember –
All voters who live in the City can vote for three of the four candidates for City Council-at-Large.
All voters who live in the City can vote for Mayor.
Mayor Winnecke has an opponent.
 It is important to vote in this Republican Primary !!Â
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Chairman Parke’s supported
Primary Candidates:
City Council At-Large (Choose 3) :
Ron Beane
David Christmas
City Council Ward 1 – Timothy O’Brien
City Council Ward 2 – Natalie Rascher
City Council Ward 3 – Stephen Melcher
City Council Ward 4 – Archie Carter
City Council Ward 5 – Justin Elpers
City Council Ward 6 – Paul Abramson
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 County Council Meeting-      Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2019
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        1 NW Martin Luther King Blvd, Evansville
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VCRP Central Committee Meeting -Â Thursday, March 28, 2019
Location: GOP Headquarters
815 John Street, Evansville
Meetings are open to all Vanderburgh County Precinct CommitteemenÂ
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 County Commission Meeting-  Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2019
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        1 NW Martin Luther King Blvd, Evansville
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 City Council Meeting-  Date: Monday, April 8, 2019
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        1 NW Martin Luther King Blvd, Evansville
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EVSC Board of School Trustees Meeting-
       Time: 5:30 PM
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Meet Your Legislators Meeting-
Date: Saturday April 13, 2019
Time: Doors open at 9 am. Sessions start at 9:15 am and end at 11 am.
200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Evansville, IN 47713
Local state legislators are invited to make themselves available to answer questions on the second Saturdays of each month during each year’s legislative session. This will be the final Meeting for the 2019 legislative session.
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VCRP Breakfast:Â Saturday April 20, 2019
Where: C.K. Newsome Center , Room 118A-B
       100 Walnut Street, Evansville, IN 47713
 Time: 7:30 am – Doors Open; Program begins at 8:00 am and adjourns at 9:00 am.
Guest Speakers: Natalie Rascher, City Council Ward 2 Candidate
Paul Abramson, City Council Ward 6 Candidate
Zane Clodfelter, City Council At-Large Candidate
 Contact Mary Jo Kaiser at 812-425-8207 for more information.
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Cracker Barrel Meeting-Saturday, April 20, 2019
Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Career and Tech Center
1901 Lynch Rd, Evansville, IN
The Posey County, Vanderburgh County and Warrick County Farm Bureau Inc. join the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Warrick County Chamber of Commerce to host the Cracker Barrel sessions on the third Saturday of each month during the 2019 Indiana Legislative session. Join local state legislators for the last of these scheduled public forums on Saturday, April 20, 2019.
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  Strengthening Indiana’s Workforce
(from the 3/22/19 Senate Republican newsletters of State Senators Vaneta becker and Jim Tomes)
Indiana’s workforce remains strong, with more than 3.39 million Hoosiers employed or pursuing employment in our state.
Due to Indiana’s competitive job market, strengthening our workforce continues to be a top priority for the General Assembly. This session, my colleagues and I are considering several measures to improve workforce development opportunities. House Bill 1002 would help increase high school career and technical education (CTE) opportunities by giving high schools more flexibility to improve CTE courses as well as hire instructors.
This bill would also improve job-training programs by expanding the Workforce Ready Grant, which pays for adults to complete certificate programs, to all colleges approved by the Commission for Higher Education in addition to Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University.
For more information on ways the General Assembly is working to strengthen our state’s workforce, click here
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 State Launches New Career Site and Interactive Job Board
 (from 3/22/19 post by M. McLaughlin)
The Indiana State Personnel Department has launched an upgraded career sitethat offers a full-service, user-friendly job board. The site connects job seekers tomore than 70 state agencies. Some of the new features of the job board include customizable job alerts, advanced search functions, and the option to import resume information. The department says the new features cut the average time to fill a position by nearly 50 percent.
“When we receive more applications from qualified candidates, we are better positioned to fill current and future job opportunities while saving time and resources,” said INSPD director Britni Saunders in a news release. “This is one reason we encourage people who aren’t actively seeking a new job to complete a profile. There may be a perfect fit for them in state government down the road, and our job board is a great way to stay informed about the latest opportunities.”
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Stay in touch with GOP state legislators representing our area by clicking the links below.
Follow Bills Introduced for the 2019 legislative Session HERE.
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President Trump protects Free Speech on America’s College Campuses
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 President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, March 21, 2019, to protect free speech and the First Amendment rights of students on college campuses. The President condemned the overt discrimination and open hostility against conservative speech which has become common place on today’s college campuses. As a result of the President’s executive order, colleges and universities will now be required to uphold the First Amendment on campus if they want to receive federal research funding.Â
 Watch President at the signing of the Executive Order :
 Read text of the Executive Order:
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 Mueller Probes Ends…. NO Collusion Between Trump and Russia
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On Friday, March 22, 2019 special Council Robert Mueller released the long awaited final report of the completed Russia probe. The 2 year, $25 million (and counting) investigation  did not find evidence that President Trump or any members of his campaign team conspired with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election.
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Dr. Bucshon’s Statement on Special Counsel Mueller’s Report
Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. released the following statement regarding the Special Counsel’s Report:”After two years, two congressional investigations, and millions of taxpayer dollars spent searching for collusion between Russia and President Trump’s campaign, Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation – which had unfettered ability to investigate any potential link between Russia and the Trump campaign – has made it clear, without a doubt, no collusion with Russians by President Trump or by any other Americans.”This was an exhaustive investigation, and the case is now closed on the matter. It is unfortunate that for two years, Washington Democrats had seemingly already made up their minds on this matter and chose to irresponsibly play politics, wasting time and money grasping at straws, rather than accept the results of the 2016 Presidential election and work with President Trump and Republicans in Congress to advance the American people’s priorities. I hope that Democrats in Congress will accept the results of Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation as definitive and put this matter behind us. Any further investigations of this matter in Congress will simply be a needless partisan exercise.
“I applaud Special Counsel Mueller and his team for leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to ensure our democracy stands strong. We must now move forward as a united nation to tackle the issues facing America – including the interference of foreign nations on our electoral system. I urge my Democrat colleagues to join with President Trump and Republicans in Congress to continue advancing an agenda that has brought America’s economy back to life, rebuilt our nation’s military, diminished threats in the Middle East, and improved the standard of living for all Americans.” |
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Stay in touch with GOP members of Congress representing our area at these links:
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       Visit the Vanderburgh GOPÂ
page for daily updates.
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 Mark Your calendar        CLICK on event for more information
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 Make sure you add vandygop@gmail.com to your address book so we’ll be sure to land in your inbox!
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     If you have any questions, contact Mary Jo Kaiser, VCRP Political Director, at
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