ERC Announces New President and Board Members for 2024

Derek Chartrand
Derek Chartrand

We had a great turnout for the January 9 meeting of Eastside Republican Club, with excellent speakers including Brian Heywood of Let’s Go Washington (who just got six excellent initiatives on the 2024 ballot!), Glen Morgan of We The Governed, and chair of the Washington State Republican Party, State Rep. Jim Walsh! If you weren’t there, you missed a great meeting!

We also held our Annual Business Meeting, at which ERC thanked Derek Chartrand for his service as ERC President for 2023. Derek has announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress in the 1st District, and we wish him success in that endeavour! We elected a new president and board members as well.

Doug Basler
Doug Basler

Our Club president for 2024 is Doug Basler, who previously served as ERC President for 2020-2022. Ruphina Nord, National Committeewoman for Washington State Young Republicans, was re-elected as ERC Vice President, and Kathleen Strong and Michael Scheele were re-elected as Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

Lenny Chacon, who serves as Chair of the Washington State Young Republicans, was re-elected to another two-year term on the ERC Board of Directors. Rick Jacobs was elected to his first term on the Board, and former state representative and Kirkland city councilmember Toby Nixon returned to the Board, having previously served several terms (Toby also manages the ERC web site and email lists). The club thanked Donna Barr and Ted Reinhart, who stepped down from the Board, for their faithful service.

We look forward to all the great things ahead for the club in 2024!

Mark Your Calendar!

The February 2024 meeting of Eastside Republican Club will be on our usual Second Tuesday, February 13, since it doesn’t collide with Valentine’s Day this year. The location and program will be announced soon.

We also take this opportunity to remind you to attend your Republican precinct caucuses this Saturday, January 13. For more information on locations and times, visit https://kcgop.org/2024caucus/ and https://wsrp.org/convention/

Time to Renew Your Membership!

If you have not already done so, please go to the Join page and renew your ERC membership for 2024. Of course if you aren’t yet a member, we invite you to join! There are three membership levels: Basic $25, Silver $50, and Gold $100. Your dues help cover the cost of meeting location rental and other expenses of operating the club. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings!

Share

January 9, 2024 Meeting — Glen Morgan of We The Governed, and Annual Business Meeting

Willowcrest Stables Sign
Willowcrest Stables Sign

Please join us for the monthly meeting of Eastside Republican Club on Tuesday, January 9, at 6:30 PM. We’ll meet at the Barn at Willowcrest Stables (note new location!), 12053 154th Place NE in Redmond. See the Location page for driving directions, a map, photos, and parking information. Please RSVP if you plan to attend!  

Annual Business Meeting

We’ll start with the Annual Business Meeting to elect the ERC president and board members for 2024. If you’re interested in serving, please email us at info@eastsiderepublicanclub.org and let us know!

To be eligible to vote for our officers and board members during the business meeting, you will need to be a dues-paying member of the club either by registering and paying by January 9 or having been a paid member for 2023. It’s time for everyone to renew your membership for 2024 as well. Membership prices are still only $25 Basic, $50 Silver, and $100 Gold. Please renew today so you don’t forget! You can join or renew your membership on the Join page.

Glen Morgan of We The Governed
Glen Morgan photo
Glen Morgan

Unfortunately, WSRP Chair Jim Walsh is unable to make it to our meeting this month as previously announced. But we’re very pleased to announce that our special guest speaker will be Glen Morgan of We The Governed. to update us on his many activities to protect our rights and expose government corruption and the initiatives to the legislature in 2024.

Glen founded We the Governed in 2016.  He is currently the volunteer Executive Director for the Citizens Alliance for Property Rights. Glen Morgan was the Grassroots Director and the Property Rights Director at the Freedom Foundation 2011-2015. He enjoys creating videos documenting Big Government’s abuses of citizens – particularly on property rights issues.  

Glen is a frequent writer and speaker on property rights, the environmental movement, Big Government, and the importance of citizen activism. In 2014, Bill Whittle called Glen “The ascended high master of political messaging.” Glen doesn’t consider himself a high master of anything, but he enjoys exploring policy issues in local government and exposing government corruption and incompetence which impacts everyone.

In October, 2023, Glen was awarded the Washington State GOP “Volunteer of the Year.” In June, 2019, Glen was awarded the “Citizen Activist of the Year 2019” award by the Olympic Conference.  In 2015, Glen was also honored with the annual Rodney & Laurel McFarland Award presented by the Citizens Alliance for Property Rights (CAPR) “for exemplary performance in preserving and protecting property rights for the year 2014.”  

Glen is also an investigative citizen journalist who frequently meets with anonymous whistleblowers from various state agencies, local governments, and political parties who want to expose wrongdoing where they work.  Glen has been repeatedly sued by Yelm, Washington based cult leader JZ Knight after he helped expose her racist speeches from 2011 which caused the Washington State Democratic Party to divest themselves from her donations at the time.  Glen has also exposed tax fraud committed by State Senators, homeless camps causing environmental pollution – ignored by environmentalists, and even created alternative logos for Evergreen College.  Glen also published Governor Inslee’s “snitch list” – a public record of citizens encouraged to spy on and report their neighbors for their failure to comply with Inslee’s Civilian Covid Compliance Program.

Glen helped launch the Washington Voter Research Project, a Washington State non-profit organization that helps concerned volunteer activists canvass Washington State’s voter rolls and help local auditors clean up problematic and sloppy voter rolls.  He has repeatedly been attacked by the corporate media, angry politicians, and the Democratic Party for daring to look at elections, a project he has been involved in long before Trump decided to run for public office.

Please RSVP!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please click RSVP to register, and pay online in advance. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for College Republicans and Young Republicans) to cover the cost of the meeting space and food. Please register in advance so we know how much pizza and beverages to bring!

Share

October 10, 2023 Meeting — Sheriff Adam Fortney

Kirkland Eagles Sign
Kirkland Eagles Sign

Please join us for the monthly meeting of Eastside Republican Club on Tuesday, October 10, at 6:30 PM. We meet at the Kirkland Eagles club, 258 Central Way in beautiful downtown Kirkland! See the Location page for driving directions, a map, photos, and parking information. Please RSVP if you plan to attend! Note that ERC members can’t enter the Eagles Club until an Eagle is there to sign you in — so please consider not arriving earlier than 6PM or so. 

https://youtu.be/rgwojK3toMk?si=fStpyXSJ_kTMswuH

Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney
Sheriff Adam Fortney

Our special guest speaker this month will be Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney. Sheriff Fortney was sworn in as Snohomish County’s 32nd Sheriff on December 30, 2019, and is running for re-election in 2023. He has been a member of the Sheriff’s Office for 24 years, working in patrol, K-9, and SWAT. He was promoted to sergeant in 2014 and his most recent patrol assignment was to the south precinct graveyard shift, one of the busiest crews in the county. For more information, visit is campaign web site at https://www.reelectadamforsheriff.com

In addition to hearing from Sheriff Fortney, we’ve invited candidates on the November ballot to come and address the club about their races. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please click RSVP to register, and pay online in advance. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for College Republicans and Young Republicans) to cover the cost of the meeting space. A full bar is available, and the full menu should be available for dinner!

Share

Register Now for September 12 ERC Meeting!

Kirkland Eagles Sign
Kirkland Eagles Sign

Please join us for the monthly meeting of Eastside Republican Club on Tuesday, September 12, at 6:30 PM. We meet at the Kirkland Eagles club, 258 Central Way in beautiful downtown Kirkland! See the Location page for driving directions, a map, photos, and parking information. Please RSVP if you plan to attend! Note that ERC members can’t enter the Eagles Club until an Eagle is there to sign you in — so please consider not arriving earlier than 6PM or so. 

Our special guest speaker for the September meeting is being confirmed, and we’ll update this post when details are available.

There will be plenty to discuss about the results of the August primary and the November elections for local officials. We invite candidates to come and introduce yourself to the club. We’re also planning on an update oninitiative petitions being circulated now. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please click RSVP to register, and pay online in advance. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for College Republicans and Young Republicans) to cover the cost of the meeting space. A full bar is available, and the full menu should be available for dinner!

Share

No August Meeting — and remember to VOTE!

It was great seeing so many of you at the ERC Picnic on July 11! Thanks to everyone who brought desserts and side dishes to share, to our chefs, to our board members and officers who shopped for food and provided the raffle prizes, and to everyone who came early and stayed late for setup and cleanup. We hope you all had a good time hearing from and mingling with the candidates!

As usual, there’s no ERC meeting in August; our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12. We’re working on confirming availability of speakers, and will have details for you soon.

Don’t forget to vote in the Primary! You should have already received your ballot — be sure to return it by August 1!

Have a great summer!

I Voted - Did You?

Share

June 13, 2023 Meeting — Sen. Simon Sefzik, Initiatives, and More!

Kirkland Eagles Sign
Kirkland Eagles Sign

Please join us for the monthly meeting of Eastside Republican Club on Tuesday, June 13, at 6:30 PM. We meet at the Kirkland Eagles club, 258 Central Way in beautiful downtown Kirkland! See the Location page for driving directions, a map, photos, and parking information. Please RSVP if you plan to attend! Note that ERC members can’t enter the Eagles Club until an Eagle is there to sign you in — so please consider not arriving earlier than 6PM or so. 

Simon Sefzik
Simon Sefzik

Our special guest speaker this month will be former State Senator Simon Sefzik. He served as senator for the 42nd legislative district (Bellingham and Whatcom County) from January 2022 to January 2023, after being appointed to fulfill the unexpired term of the late Sen. Doug Ericksen. At age 22, Simon was the youngest person to ever serve as a member of the Washington state senate. He served on the senate committees on Higher Education & Workforce Development, Health & Long Term Care, and Housing & Local Government. We look forward to hearing his future plans and thoughts on serving in the senate and politics in Washington.

In addition to hearing from Sen. Sefzik, we’ll discuss referendum and initiative petitions being circulated, and hope to have copies of them to be signed and distributed. We’ll also receive an update from the Young Republicans. And now that candidate filing is complete for 2023, we’ll talk about the local races and candidates ERC members can support as volunteers and donors. We invite candidates to some and introduce yourself to the club. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please click RSVP to register, and pay online in advance. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for College Republicans and Young Republicans) to cover the cost of the meeting space. A full bar is available, and the full menu should be available for dinner!

Share

May 9, 2023 Meeting — Reagan Dunn, and County Republican Chairs

Kirkland Eagles Sign
Kirkland Eagles Sign

Please join us for the monthly meeting of Eastside Republican Club on Tuesday, May 9, at 6:30 PM. We meet at the Kirkland Eagles club, 258 Central Way in beautiful downtown Kirkland! See the Location page for driving directions, a map, photos, and parking information. Please RSVP if you plan to attend! Note that ERC members can’t enter the Eagles Club until an Eagle is there to sign you in — so please consider not arriving until 6PM or so (maybe 5:30). 

Reagan Dunn
Reagan Dunn

Our special guest speakers this month will be King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, and the chairs of the King, Pierce, and Snohomish County Republican Parties: Mathew Patrick Thomas, Dave McMullan, and Bob Hagglund

Councilmember Dunn represents the 9th district and is currently serving as Vice Chair of the King County Council. He was first elected to the council in 2005. He previously served as Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, and in many other roles in the Department of Justice. He has previously run for US Congress and for Washington State Attorney General. We look forward to hearing from him on what’s happening in King County government.

With candidate filing week coming up May 15-19, we look forward to hearing from our county chairs regarding hot local issues and races and opportunities to help our candidates win!

Please RSVP!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please click RSVP to register, and pay online in advance. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for College Republicans and Young Republicans) to cover the cost of the meeting space. A full bar is available, and the full menu should be available for dinner!

Share

April 11, 2023 Meeting — Senator Phil Fortunato

Note: Because of extended action on the floor of the state Senate in Olympia, Sen. Fortunato was not able to come to our meeting in April. Remarks we given by Lenny Chacon (chair of the Snohomish County Young Republicans and ERC board member), KCGOP Vice Chair Michelle Le, and Kirkland City Councilmember Toby Nixon. 

Kirkland Eagles Sign
Kirkland Eagles Sign

Please join us for the monthly meeting of Eastside Republican Club on Tuesday, April 11, at 6:30 PM. We meet at the Kirkland Eagles club, 258 Central Way in beautiful downtown Kirkland! See the Location page for driving directions, a map, photos, and parking information. Please RSVP if you plan to attend! Note that ERC members can’t enter the Eagles Club until an Eagle is there to sign you in — so please consider not arriving until 6PM or so (maybe 5:30). 

Senator Phil Fortunato
Sen. Phil Fortunato

Our special guest speaker this month will be State Senator Phil Fortunato of the 31st Legislative District, who will update us on the current legislative session in Olympia with a focus on bills affecting the right to keep and bear arms.

Senator Fortunato has a wealth of private sector and legislative experience. He has been a contractor for over 30 years, starting his first business at 18, and is currently a recognized expert in Clean Water Act compliance. As a contractor, he understands Davis Bacon Act compliance, Employment Security, Unemployment and business tax issues. In addition, he has done work on the international market in Europe, Asia and Canada and understands international trade and import export issues as well.

He is ranking Republican member of the Senate committee on Housing, and also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and the State Government & Elections Committee.

Phil and his wife, Suzanne, live in Auburn, and have five children with his first three sons joining the Marine Corps. He has been active in his community, including his church, Knights of Columbus, Buckley Eagles, Sons of Italy, Washington Arms Collectors, National Rifle Association, Renton Fish and Game Club, Black Diamond Gun Club, and charitable activities.

Please RSVP!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please click RSVP to register, and pay online in advance. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for College Republicans and Young Republicans) to cover the cost of the meeting space. A full bar is available, and the full menu should be available for dinner!

Share

March 14, 2023 Meeting — Glen Morgan of We The Governed

 

Kirkland Eagles Sign
Kirkland Eagles Sign

Please join us for the monthly meeting of Eastside Republican Club on Tuesday, March 14, at 6:30 PM. Note that this is our usual second Tuesday of the month. We meet at the Kirkland Eagles club, 258 Central Way in beautiful downtown Kirkland! See the Location page for driving directions, a map, photos, and parking information. Please RSVP if you plan to attend! Note that ERC members can’t enter the Eagles Club until an Eagle is there to sign you in — so please consider not arriving until 6PM or so (maybe 5:30). The Eagles have hired two new chefs, so the full menu should be available for dinner!

Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan

Our special guest speaker this month will be Glen Morgan of We The Governed. to update us on his many activities to protect our rights and expose government corruption.

Glen founded We the Governed in 2016.  He is currently the volunteer Executive Director for the Citizens Alliance for Property Rights. Glen Morgan was the Grassroots Director and the Property Rights Director at the Freedom Foundation 2011-2015. He enjoys creating videos documenting Big Government’s abuses of citizens – particularly on property rights issues.  

Glen is a frequent writer and speaker on property rights, the environmental movement, Big Government, and the importance of citizen activism. In 2014, Bill Whittle called Glen “The ascended high master of political messaging.” Glen doesn’t consider himself a high master of anything, but he enjoys exploring policy issues in local government and exposing government corruption and incompetence which impacts everyone.

Glen is often attacked by the Left for daring to expose corruption in government.  He frequently testifies on property rights issues at local government hearings and at the Washington State Legislature.  Glen is also known for writing opposition statements in the official voter’s guide for voter-approved tax increases, challenging inaccurate and misleading ballot titles created by Washington State’s Attorney General and local county prosecutors and auditors for some initiatives and tax increase propositions, among other civic activity.

Glen has also been involved in attempting to address campaign finance reforms to make the process easier and simpler for political beginners.  As part of his effort to study Washington State’s campaign finance laws, he has filed over 665 Public Disclosure Campaign Finance and Ethics complaints (from late 2016-2022).  These complaints have resulted in over 79 lawsuits, fines, settlements, or forfeiture of contributions against state legislators, state senators, Democratic Party committees, labor unions,  judges, and other politicians who violated the Washington State’s campaign finance laws.  This includes 19 lawsuits filed by the Washington State Attorney General resulting in 21 judgements based on Glen’s reporting.  The Democrats grew so frustrated over Glen’s success that they passed a law to make it more difficult for citizens to file lawsuits over PDC violations.

Glen is also an investigative citizen journalist who frequently meets with anonymous whistleblowers from various state agencies, local governments, and political parties who want to expose wrongdoing where they work.  Glen has been repeatedly sued by Yelm, Washington based cult leader JZ Knight after he helped expose her racist speeches from 2011 which caused the Washington State Democratic Party to divest themselves from her donations at the time.  Glen has also exposed tax fraud committed by State Senators, homeless camps causing environmental pollution – ignored by environmentalists, and even created alternative logos for Evergreen College.  Glen also published Governor Inslee’s “snitch list” – a public record of citizens encouraged to spy on and report their neighbors for their failure to comply with Inslee’s Civilian Covid Compliance Program.

Glen helped launch the Washington Voter Research Project, a Washington State non-profit organization that helps concerned volunteer activists canvass Washington State’s voter rolls and help local auditors clean up problematic and sloppy voter rolls.  He has repeatedly been attacked by the corporate media, angry politicians, and the Democratic Party for daring to look at elections, a project he has been involved in long before Trump decided to run for public office.

Glen graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Federal Way.  After graduating from college with a BA in political science from Columbia College in New York City, Glen returned home and worked for small start-up companies and local manufacturing businesses.  He currently lives on a small tree farm in Thurston County with his wife and their flock of free-range children.  They also have a large flock of free-range Icelandic chickens, peafowl and other helpful farm animals.

Please RSVP!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please click RSVP to register, and pay online in advance. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for College Republicans and Young Republicans) to cover the cost of the meeting space, and includes dessert and coffee service. The Eagles have hired two new chefs, so the full menu should be available for dinner!

Time to Renew Membership!

If you have not already done so, please go to the Join page and renew your ERC membership for 2023. Of course if you aren’t yet a member, we invite you to join! There are three membership levels: Basic $25, Silver $50, and Gold $100. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings!

Share