Fellow Maryland Republican Central Committee Members
As many of you know, I believe that in order for the Maryland Republican Party to grow, we need to welcome far broader participation by more Republicans in party business than has been our past practice. This means more than just inviting people to “follow us.” It requires our giving more Republicans an active say in what we do as a party.
Too often party leadership’s penchant to operate in secrecy has left the impression that they were “hiding” things that could just as easily have been made public without any embarrassment. For example, we have quite literally let the fear of press leaks limit the manner of distribution of basic financial information, even among County Chairmen. The circumstances regarding other decisions, such as the failure to designate an Attorney General candidate, remains so shrouded in mystery that the rest of the party still deserves a more complete explanation.
As a candidate for State Party Treasurer, I have focused on the need for more financial transparency. Tonight, for example, our Executive Committee will consider a draft budget for 2011. Consistent with past practice, a draft still has not been circulated in advance of the meeting. Contrast the way Maryland Republicans operate with the congressional "Read the Bill" reform movement. This requires that the full text of any bill be publicly available at least 72 hours before consideration, giving members a minimal time to consider what they are voting on. (See http://readthebill.org/
As a society our institutions are moving away from centralized, hierarchical organizations toward more networked structures in which individuals are empowered by communications technology to share information and take their own initiative to act. In order for our party to take full advantage of these opportunities, we must be more transparent and more inclusive in how we operate.
I am very confident that as our party’s next Chairman, Mary Kane will change the state party’s “the fewer in the know the better” style of top-down decision making. She understands that if we want people to follow us, we need to actively engage them more widely from the outset. But frankly it is the Chairman who will be the key to changing our party's operating style.
I am stepping aside as a candidate for Treasurer and endorsing Mary and Chris Rosenthal for Chairman and Treasurer respectively. I very much appreciate the warm support that so many Central Committee members extended me. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to continuing to work with you to build a stronger Maryland Republican Party.
Mark Uncapher
Central Committee Member, LD 16
Montgomery County Republican Chairman
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