March 27, 2012
RIGOP Gets a New Executive Director
Everyone say "hello" to Ann Clanton.
(Below is the Press Release issued by the RIGOP this afternoon.)
ANN CLANTON NAMED NEW RIGOP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORWarwick: The Rhode Island Republican Party today named Ann Clanton, of Providence, as its Executive Director. Ms. Clanton succeeds Patrick Sweeney, Esq., who has held the post for more than a year.
Clanton was named to the position following an extensive recruiting and interview process that considered the talents of a number of the State Central Committee’s members. Mark Zaccaria, State Chair, summed up the difficulties of selecting from a field of well qualified candidates. “The Rhode Island GOP boasts a large number of talented members who are experienced at Ocean State politics” he said. “That made my job more difficult but also insured that our new ED will be more than equal to the task.”
Ann Clanton is a Rhode Island Native who began her political career on the staff of Congresswoman Claudine Schneider. Following her graduation from both Howard University and Roger Williams University, Ms. Clanton worked in Washington, DC, as a political coordinator for the National Association of Realtors. That assignment led her back home where she worked with the Campaign for Healthy Rhode Island and the advocacy group, Rhode Island for Community and Justice. Immediately before taking the post of Executive Director of the RIGOP, she consulted with both state and federal Republican candidates.
Patrick Sweeney also indicated his feelings about the transition. “I am happy to be leaving the state party in such capable hands. In just a short period of time, Ann has already evolved into the roll and I will continue to provide her support as she begins to learn the ropes. I know she will continue the growth of both the spirit and infrastructure that have marked the RIGOP for the last year or more” concluded Sweeney.
“There is real energy in the state party these days” Zaccaria continued. “We are gathering speed and with Ann’s able assistance and a field of new and energetic candidates we look forward to making real gains in November.”
The Rhode Island Republican Party sponsors and supports Republican candidates for seats in the state and federal legislatures. As with all state GOP organizations the Rhode Island Republican Party has three seats on the Republican National Committee. Please visit the state party’s web site www.rigop.org.
"We are gathering speed with Ann's able assistance"... really, come on Mark Zaccaria, this is a fairy tale. Ann Clanton has been in hiding for years; she has done little or nothing to help RIGPOP win any seats in the General Assembly; never saw her at any event... ever. I would like to know who this person is and whether she will be able to put forward solid Republican ideals that can win elections.
Waiting...
All I can say is that she is an odd choice. Probably not a bad human being, just odd. Her claims to fame, if that's the right word, is that she led a group that got smoking outlawed at most Rhode Island businesses, followed by leading a social justice community action group.
Almost no one in the Republican Party even knows who she is... and those few who do know of her aren't particularly impressed. What's probably worse is that she doesn't really know who any of them are either. There's going to be a big learning curve.
She's one of those people who has seemingly been around forever on the periphery of party politics, but at the same time hasn't really contributed anything, whether it be time or money to the effort to get people elected over the years. Do a quick search of her campaign contribution history... you won't find any at all.
Posted by: Joe at March 28, 2012 1:09 AMA GOP director who worked for a "social justice" organization? Seems like another RINO to me
Posted by: tj at March 28, 2012 8:25 AMtj, my sentiments exactly. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
Posted by: Douglas Farnum at March 29, 2012 10:01 PMI just watched Channel Six on Thursday night. Mark Curtis was at the GOP meeting tonite and was looking for answers to as whether Ms. Clanton actually voted for Obama and Chafee!~ What? It's tough enough to be a Republican in RI; harder still to run for office; we need to know right now who this woman voted for and where her true allegiances are. The party Chairman, Mark Zaccaria stated to Mark Curtis that there is no need for his new executive director to reveal for whom she voted? He said that is why there is a privacy curtain in the voting booth.
Really, Mark... the average person is NEVER going to buy that line... c'mon... her silence in refusing to reveal for whom she voted speaks volumes. Why wouldn't she want to shout from the rooftops that she was proud to vote for ALL REPUBLICANS ON THE BALLOT?
This is really quite pathetic.. .all around.
Posted by: Laura at March 30, 2012 1:19 AMSadly, the only real answer it to Go Galt, emigrate, wait for the collapse, and return to buy waterfront property on the cheap. Without massive societal upheaval, RI is doomed.
Posted by: Contrarian View at March 30, 2012 2:17 PMI can't figure out for the life of me why they didn't pick Eileen Grossman??!! Eileen is the hardest working and most significant GOP worker in years! She's smart and gives 200% to everything she does. Zaccaria should be re-called for not picking Eileen!
Posted by: Alice at April 1, 2012 8:08 AM