In the event that the Democratic nominating fight is ever resolved, there will be a general election campaign.  As part of the preparations for the coming political battle for Connecticut, CTGOP will be posting information about every Republican Town Committee and the McCain Campaign on our interactive map of the state, GOP CONNECT.

As you wave your cursor over each town, a pop-up window will appear that includes the RTC Chair’s name, telephone number, and entry lines for the McCain Coordinator.  Once completed, this map will provide prospective volunteers with an easy and effective way for locating the Republican Town Committee and the McCain Campaign in their town.  The map will also provide a link to RTC websites, where available. 

For example, go to GOP CONNECT and find Farmington, right next to orange-colored Bristol (more on that later).  You will see as you mouse over the town the logo for the FRTC, the RTC Chair’s name, and contact number.  You can also click on the town to visit the website of the Farmington Republican Town Committee.

As you’ll recall, Bristol is colored in orange.  That is because they were the first to submit the name of their McCain for President coordinator.  As each town sends in their name, we will update their color.  After a minute of exploring, you will recognize that we don’t have all of the contact information for every RTC Chair.  Town Committees had their elections in March and the new Officers lists are still trickling in from some towns.

GOP CONNECT is a terrific new tool that we will use to the great benefit of Republicans all across Connecticut during this campaign season, and we are excited to announce it today.  Please note that the map gets its incredible interactivity courtesy of FLASH, so you may need to change settings or make other modifications to your browser settings to see it properly.

Shirley Judge is Chair of the East Haddam RTC. She wanted to share some thoughts on the victim and her close friend, MaryEllen Welsh.

It is the morning after I first learned of the brutal murder of someone I have known; MaryEllen Welsh. I have seen her face in the paper and heard her name on the news. I have read the police report and spoken to others who knew her. It is the morning after and I still cannot believe this woman who is being described as elderly and defenseless, who is now known as a victim, murdered woman and the body is the woman I knew.

I cannot resolve that this is the same person who as twenty and thirty somethings, had no worries other than where the next party was to be, the same person whose sound of laughter infected all with laughter of their own, the same person who had the ever present sparkle of Irish in her eye, the same person who was so full of life. It is the morning after and I realize that it must in fact be her. It is the morning after and I realize that I, and all who knew MaryEllen, are victims too.

It’s still a work in progress, but take a sneak peek at our nifty new reference map that we’ll be integrating into our websites over the next couple of weeks.

Click here!

 When completed, the map will feature a link to each town’s Republican Town Committee website (where applicable), the name and contact information for the Republican Town Committee Chair, and the name of the McCain for President Coordinator in town.  This map will be a key reference point for anyone trying to find out how to get in touch with their Republican Town Committee or the local McCain effort.

 It’s still in its very rough stages of course, but it should be an excellent addition to the website.

A recurring theme in Connecticut over the past year is the Republican Revitalization occurring in a number of places.  In Vernon, after suffering through the reign of Democrat Ellen Marmer, the Jason McCoy-led Republicans swept the Democrats, beating them for nearly every line on the ballot.  In Enfield, Republicans tossed out the Tallerita machine and put a super-majority on the Town Council.  In Torrington, 25 year old Mayor Ryan Bingham led his team to win every contested seat in municipal government.  And in Norwich, of all places, Republican Chris Coutu came out of the most staunchly Democrat sections of Norwich (Taftville) and was elected to the Board of Aldermen through hard work and determination.  With his victory and some key changes in leadership, the Norwich Republican Town Committee seems primed to become the bulwark of southeastern Connecticut Republicans.

To honor two long-serving Republicans - Ed Seder and John Paul Mereen - the Norwich RTC will host a Lincoln Day Dinner on February 22nd, at the Chelsearose Ballroom in the Norwich Holiday Inn, from 6pm - 10pm.  Republicans from across Connecticut are invited to attend the event and celebrate the service of Mr. Seder and Mr. Mereen.  Republicans familiar with the State Central Committee know about the many works of Ed Seder over the years, and Mr. Mereen has been a central figure in Norwich politics for a long time.  Those interested in attending should visit the CTGOP Events Calendar page for contact information, pricing, etc.