Report From Pct. 31 Chair Betty Anderson on the Closing of Republican Party Headquarters
April 10, 2023 | Montgomery County, TX
Confirmation: Yes, it’s really true. After decades of local Republican campaigns, Party history, and recent Get-Out-the-Vote efforts, Chairman Bryan Christ has closed the local Republican Party Headquarters in Conroe.
On April 2, Chairman Christ announced, without prior notice to the conservative majority Executive Committee, that the landlord had suddenly ended our month-to-month lease at 310 Metcalf Street in downtown Conroe. Precinct Chairs were notified that the Montgomery County Republican Party (MCRP) Headquarters, faithfully manned by Dorothy Woodall for 20 years, had been closed down and cleaned out. We also were notified that memorabilia collected over the years by former Chairman, Dr. Wally Wilkerson, had been given to his family members.
MCRP Treasurer Charles Shirley had paid the rent through April 30, 2023, but the landlord refused to talk or negotiate with him because Chairman Christ’s name was on the lease. Click here to view documentation and receipts for these monthly payments.
Chairman Christ and some of his supporters evidently took it upon themselves to disperse and dispose of the contents of the Headquarters. Some of the items were even donated to another county Republican Party rather than being turned over to the County Executive Committee (CEC). They had no authority to do this! Every duly elected and appointed Precinct Chair should have been given advance notice and allowed to vote on this decision. When asked to provide the location of certain items, Chairman Christ refused to share the information in violation of the bylaws. Some of the unaccounted-for items include a television ($857), office tables ($3,200), and displays ($1,100).
(Update: It has been reported that the television, office tables, and displays have been accounted for. The television and office tables were donated to the Waller County Republican Party. Unfortunately, the Party will be forced to fundraise and repurchase items that were donated to other organizations or returned to the original donors. The CEC majority is looking into the location of other unaccounted-for items.)
Recent Headquarters Renovation
Over a year ago, the Party spent more than $8,700 in Party funds and received approximately $9,000 through in-kind donations to renovate the Headquarters. Many man hours of labor were also spent renovating the facility.
Sadly, the renovation was done without renegotiating the lease. Many conservatives on the CEC, including me, did not want to risk renovating a facility subject to a month-to-month lease, with no guarantee of how many years or even months the lease would continue. In addition, we objected to the renovation because it would reduce the funds available to spend on Get-Out-the-Vote efforts for the 2022 General Election. In spite of these objections, the Party went ahead with renovations and now we have nothing to show for it. Meanwhile, the landlord refused to negotiate with our Treasurer because, as mentioned above, Bryan Christ was the only name on the lease.
CEC Not Given Access to Headquarters for Months
How does this scenario sound to you? The Party raises funds to pay the lease ($1,000/mo.), copier rental ($290/mo.), and insurance ($879/yr.) for Headquarters with Chairman Christ not lifting a finger to help. Rent is paid in a timely manner (documentation & receipts) but when committee chairs follow the proper procedure to reserve the Headquarters for holding meetings and conducting training, Chairman Christ refuses to give them the access code. Instead, they are forced to scramble to meet at restaurants or local business offices to get Republican Party work done. Last week we heard false rumors that the CEC has not been paying the rent or other office expenses. As you can see from the documentation & receipts, this is not true at all; it had been paid through April 30. So why the rush to vacate?
Chairman Claims Party Funds Used for Lawsuit
Shockingly, Chairman Christ has discouraged participation in the upcoming Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) bowling tournament fundraiser that the Party has planned for April 30. In his Feb. 18 email message to local Republicans, he “is convinced” that money raised would be used to fund a lawsuit against him.
That is absolutely not true! The proceeds from the bowling tournament and other GOTV fundraisers will only go towards mailers, push cards, and signs in order to get Republicans elected to office during the 2024 General Election, just as they were used in 2020 and 2022.
Setting the record straight: A majority of CEC members and officers (including me), at our own expense, did file a Petition for Writ of Mandamus with the Texas Supreme Court which asks the court to compel Chairman Christ to fulfill his statutory duties. The court is currently reviewing the petition and no Party funds have been nor will be used to pay these legal fees. Our individual donations went straight to the attorney.
The Montgomery County Republican Party needs GOTV fundraisers to be a success and our Chairman should be encouraging everyone to sign up on our website at mctxgop.org/register-for-bowling-tournament.
Chairman’s Failure to Fulfill His Duties
After having attended almost every County Executive Committee meeting for the past 25 years, I’ve never seen such extremely poor leadership by a Republican Party chairman. Bryan Christ has either been incompetent or willfully negligent in chairing the legitimate Montgomery County Executive Committee, composed of up to 111 voting Precinct Chairs. He has been unwilling to accept the decisions of the conservative majority. It seems to me that his organization, communication, and negotiating skills are greatly lacking.
To make matters worse, Chairman Christ has not accurately reported many properly vetted and seated Precinct Chairs to the Texas Secretary of State, which is one of his important statutory duties as a Party official. At last count, there were about a dozen criminal complaints filed against Chairman Christ for his violations of the Texas Election Code and the Texas Penal Code. See the Petition for Writ of Mandamus for details.
Draw Your Own Conclusions
In summary, throughout the past 25 years as an eyewitness and nearly 18 years as a sitting Precinct Chairman, I can testify that we’ve never had this level of ongoing division, lack of cooperation, and conflicts of interest within our Party. Not only have we lost our Headquarters, but sadly our local Republican Party seems to be unraveling at the seams.
All Montgomery County voters are invited to attend the next County Executive Committee (CEC) meeting. Meetings are posted on our website calendar and the public is always invited. You can draw your own conclusions.
Serving God & country,
Betty Anderson, Precinct 31 Chair
Betty Anderson is a longtime Precinct Chair serving in Shenandoah and South County. As President of Montgomery County Eagle Forum, Betty is known throughout Texas as a tireless grassroots conservative focused on informing voters and encouraging them to vote responsibly. She and her husband, Dr. Dave Anderson, have helped found numerous churches and several thriving Christian schools in the Montgomery County and Houston area. Read more about Betty Anderson here and here.
More information
Read the official Mediation Report from the Republican Party of Texas for an impartial assessment of the causes of the division in the Party.
Read more about Chairman Christ’s closure of Headquarters here.
View all MCRP news releases here.
View supporting documents on Attorney Warren Norred’s website here.
Email the Steering Committee with questions at info@mctxgop.org.