Concho Valley News

Menard County GOP Party Chairwoman Susan Williamson voiced several criticisms about last week's State Convention. 

The convention, which was moved to an online platform, was accompanied by a lawsuit filed by the Republican Party of Texas against the City of Houston, citing unfair political play in its decision to cancel. 

Williamson said that she did not agree with the decision to hold the convention remotely. 

"The [state Republican Party] was very unprepared with an alternative in-person plan, and the online convention is already a train wreck," Williamson said in an interview with the Concho Valley News. According to the chairwoman, credentials for attendants who paid $67 to register had not been administered halfway through the convention, and there were still people waiting for free registration less than 24 hours away from opening. 

When asked if she felt that hosting the convention online would have adverse effects on communication within the GOP, Williamson said, "Woefully so, yes."

Williamson felt that a convention should have been held without masks, because "humans read each other's facial expressions to understand the meaning behind the language." She said that the online convention will only help those who are in power to stay there. 

In a news release, Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey said that the GOP's State Convention week in Houston was off to a "wonderful start," and that the party "looks forward to continuing their important work in an online convention."

“We thank our incredible team of attorneys for their valiant work exhausting all legal remedies fighting the partisan Democrat shutdown of our in-person convention over the last several days," said Dickey. 

In the legal documents of the Republican Party of Texas v. the City of Houston, the GOP accused Mayor Sylvester Turner of "ignoring the stringent safety measures put in place by the RPT while allowing other public events that were conducted unsafely. Mayor Turner’s crocodile tears reek of ideological viewpoint discrimination."

Willaimson argues that Dickey should resign for not having an alternative location ready. 

"By not having any real choices available, the (Republican Party) was forced to move to virtual despite overwhelming support of in person convention," she said. "I believe his 'fight' against the Houston mayor was a mockery."