The Central Committee of the Lincoln County Republican Party, made up of 35 elected committeewomen and 35 elected committeemen, elected the executive committee officers for the party on Saturday, March 18. Wade Hirschi and Marti Halverson were both nominated for the position of Chairperson, with Hirschi eventually being elected by a 35-32 vote.
“I’ve always had an interest in politics and how we’re governed,” Hirschi, who previously held the position of Treasurer, told SVI News. “I first got put on the Central Committee back in 2012 and have been involved ever since then.”
When asked what he hopes to accomplish as the party chair, Hirschi said he hopes to help the party focus on a few core principles. “You get a lot of statements of principles and a lot of things are important, and it seems like sometimes when there’s too many priorities, you don’t ever move the ball forward. So, one of my goals is going to be to work with the Central Committee and say ‘okay, of these many issues, which ones do we think are the most important so that we can actually focus on those.’ We haven’t gone through that process yet, so I don’t want to lead on and say ‘these are the most important things.’ I want the committee to work together to prioritize that.”
Others elected to the Executive Committee include Lance Oviatt (North Vice-Chair), Tom Crank (South Vice-Chair), Brandon Taylor (State Committeeman), Kay Lynn Nield (State Committeewoman), Kelsey Bailey (Secretary) and Tim Hale (Treasurer).
“From each county the chairman, the state committeewoman and the state committeeman all sit on the state central committee for the Republican Party,” explained Hirschi.
“I definitely would like to see a greater unity in the party,” Hirschi continued. “We have to remember we don’t necessarily all have the exact same idea on how to implement those principles and the platform, but let’s sit down and work together and come together.”
Hirschi concluded by expressing his gratitude to the previous leadership. “Marti Halverson’s been the chair for the last four years. Her and the rest of the executive committee, I want to thank them for all of their hard work and for giving us a foundation to leap off of.”
The full interview with Chairman Hirschi can be found at SVInews.com/radio or the SVI News App.
