Republicans Try Town Hall Meeting Format to Fire-up Troops in 'Grand Old Party'

By Charles Talkoff

The SF Republican Party held the first of what will be a series of Town Hall Meetings to raise the profile of the party and increase membership. The meeting, held at the Richmond District Police Station, drew a determined crowd of supporters.

Acknowledging how difficult it is to be a Republican in a city dominated by Democrats and left-of-center parties, the chairman of the SF Republicans, Michael DeNunzio, was blunt, but spoke with humor, saying, "Anyone can be a Democrat; not everyone can be a Republican." Drawing applause and laughs from the small crowd of about 20 supporters, he compared being a Republican in San Francisco to being a United States Marine. "We're the few, the proud; we apologize for nothing."

The meeting was an attempt to spark a grass-roots effort to raise party membership and get out the vote in support of Republican candidates and causes. Barbara Kiley, vice chair for fundraising, was concerned about the viability of the Republican message in the face of what she described as a "liberal media bias."

"The Chronicle is a liberal rag," she said. "The mainstream media is all dominated by liberals and it's almost impossible for Republicans to get their message out to the public. Thank God for Fox news."

Asked about the prospects for growing the Republican Party's ranks locally, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's going to be difficult, but we're committed to success."

Janet Campbell, an architect, was also optimistic about the party's' chances for growth and success in San Francisco. "The party is on fire," she said.

Ronald "Dr. K." Konopaski, vice chair for precinct operations and a former candidate for supervisor in District 1, laid out the party's future plans.

"Our goal is a series of these Town Hall Meetings so we can get people motivated," he said. "We want Republicans to work their neighborhoods and to go door to door to find fellow Republicans.

"We have to start small, get on to school boards and things like that, and then go for a statewide Republican movement. It's going to be a long march, but I'm optimistic," Konopaski said.

He spoke to the audience about the need for volunteers to become precinct captains and to organize Republicans in each neighborhood. "We can do it," he said, to applause.

Timothy Simon, vice chair for political affairs, spoke passionately about the Republican Party being a "big tent party."

DeNunzio pointed out that while there are only 50,000 registered Republicans in San Francisco, Democrat Gavin Newsom defeated SF Supervisor Matt Gonzalez by more than 10,000 votes "cast by Republicans."

DeNunzio says the party has much to be proud of and was humorously adamant about the future of the Republicans in San Francisco.

"It all comes down to demographics; we stopped Gonzalez, we stopped Ammiano from becoming mayor; there are 125,000 people in San Francisco who I would call closet Republicans. They were Democrats because their parents voted Democrat and their grandparents too, but we can get those people, who share our values, to vote openly on our ticket and support the values of the Republican Party."

Asked to identify those values, he listed them as a strong family and what he called a society of opportunity.

Simon chided critics of the political party.

"We have fun," he said. "We're the Republican Party, but we're also the Republicans who like to party. These Town Hall Meetings will begin the process of vetting who gets elected. The City needs Republicans. Forty years of Democratic control is more than enough," he said.

The crowd clapped loudly.

DeNunzio echoed Simon's determination to work for the party.

"We don't whine about our problems," he said. "We get things done."

The Republicans are planning to have another Town Hall Meeting in August. For more information, call (415) 386-2573.