Election Success!!

What a night! I won both positions I was campaigning for at last night's Utah County Republican Party Central Committee Meeting/Legislative District Caucus. I am now on the Constitution & Bylaws Committee and the Leg. 56 Education Officer. I am really excited to see how these two positions are going to dovetail together and help both my district and our county.

One highlight for me was that my family was there. Michael came from work and met me & the kids in the parking lot so I could run in & get my credentials. They ate a picnic dinner and played frisbee & games on the grass outside during the first part of the meeting. But when I went up on the stage with all the other 13 candidates, there was my family smiling away! I loved hearing Isaac say "Mom, Mom!". I could've given the worst speech ever, but they still gave me smiles and hugs afterwards. It meant a lot to me that my children wanted to see me speak and see their Mommy up there and involved and trying to be an influence for good.

For the C&B Committee Election, I only had 30 seconds to speak in front of the whole Central Committee. Speaking briefly & concisely is pretty tough for me to do, especially under a lot of stress. Thankfully, an idea came to me while I was praying early in the morning, and after writing out several drafts and sitting down with a timer in hand, I was finally able to get a brief, coherent, and accurate message together that lasted 29 seconds - if I talked fairly fast.

I know I didn't give my talk exactly the way I had planned it. I added a few words here & there & forgot to mention that I had served for the past two years on the committee (which mistake I corrected by adding at the end, "Please re-elect me for another two years ..."), but it was mostly done when my time was up. Whew!

Here's what I basically said: (my original speech)

"Two men looked out of prison bars; one saw the mud, one saw the stars. My name is Wendi Baggaley and I am an optimist. Yes, there are things that need to be fixed in our bylaws, but there are also so many wise Republican principles in there that must be protected and guarded. If you elect me for another two years, I will work towards greater communication and transparency in both the bylaw amendment and delegate allocation process. I will encourage healthy debate on these issues and then trust that YOU, the Central Committee, will make the best policy decisions for our party. Please vote for me, Wendi Baggaley, for the Constitution & Bylaws Committee."

Well, they did! Yeah!

My speech for the Education Officer in our Leg. 56 Caucus was not at all as rehearsed or even planned well; I will definitely do better next time around. But I hope I communicated my enthusiasm and desires to increase education in our district, not only in training the officers about their duties and about the issues to be discussed at the Central Committee Meetings, but also about Republican issues and principles in general among the whole community. Thankfully no one else was nominated to run against me so Heather Jackson moved that our district elect me by acclamation. (Thanks Heather!!!)

I have so many ideas of things to do for both positions. I'm so excited to see how actions I take for one position will dovetail and augment the duties for the other position. I look forward to working with people I already know, trust, and admire, but I'm also looking forward to getting to know and learn and serve with new people like Becky Pirente, Jill Jasperson, John Updike, Connor Boyack, and others. Yippee!!!! I'm off to a new adventure!!!!

Wendi Baggaley for Constitution & Bylaws Committee – Email 1 of 2 (Introduction)

[Note: This is the text of an email I sent last week to 550+ members of the Utah County Republican Party Central Committee.]

Hi!

My name is Wendi Baggaley and I would love to have your vote on August 27th for the Utah County Republican Party Constitution & Bylaws Committee.

The purpose of this first email is to introduce myself and present my background and experience for your consideration. My second email will highlight some current issues facing the Utah County Republican Party and my plans for addressing those issues on the Constitution & Bylaws Committee.

My husband, Michael, and I live in Eagle Mountain City with our four wonderful children. I know that my passion for politics directly affects my family. I work hard to make sure I show them an example of integrity, courtesy, community service, leadership, and excellence in all that I do. I have read our County Party’s Platform numerous times and I support the wise, conservative principles it contains.

The following experiences have uniquely prepared and qualified me to serve on the Constitution & Bylaws Committee:

EDUCATION AND OTHER POLITICAL SERVICE:

• Bachelor Degree in Political Science, Brigham Young University (1998), including service to BYU College Republicans, BYU Students of the Constitution, Wright Leadership Seminar, Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society) and the KBYU/Utah Colleges Exit Poll.
• BSA Merit Badge Counselor for Citizenship in the Community and Citizenship in the Nation (1997 – Present)
• Utah State Legislature Internship for Senate Majority Leader Craig Peterson (1998)
• Motivational Speaker on Civic Involvement to numerous youth & community groups (1998 – Present)
• Campaign Manager, Heather Jackson for Eagle Mountain City Council (2005)
• BSA Merit Badge Counselor for Public Speaking/Parliamentary Procedure (2006 – Present)

REPUBLICAN SERVICE:

• Precinct Chair, State and County Delegate, Provo (1998); County Delegate, West Jordan (2000); Precinct Secretary, Vice-Chair, and County Delegate, Eagle Mountain (2004-2006); Precinct Chair, State and County Delegate, Eagle Mountain (2006-2008); Appointed County Delegate (April 2009); and Ex Officio State Delegate (June 2009)
• Active member of the Utah County Republican Party Constitution & Bylaws Committee (2007 – 2009)
• Parliamentarian and Bylaws Chair for Timpanogos Republican Women (April 2009 – Present)
• Education Officer for Legislative District 56 (May 2009 – Present)

These and other experiences have taught me that while one person can make a difference, a team that works together can work miracles. As a member of the Constitution & Bylaws Committee, I pledge to cultivate an atmosphere of respect, courtesy, trust, and understanding within the committee and throughout our County Party, especially with those whose viewpoints differ from mine.

Again, I would love to earn your vote for the Utah County Republican Party Constitution & Bylaws Committee. Please plan to attend the Central Committee Meeting on August 27th, 7:00 p.m., at Lakeridge Jr. High School in Orem, Utah. More information about this meeting is available at www.UtahCountyGOP.org . If you have questions or thoughts you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact me at home or by email.

Sincerely,

Wendi J. Baggaley

Wendi Baggaley – Email 2 of 2 (Constitution & Bylaw Committee Issues)

[Note: This is the text of another email I sent out today to all 550+ members of the Utah County Republican Party Central Committee.]

Hi again!

As I mentioned in my introductory email, my name is Wendi Baggaley and I ask for your vote on August 27th for the Utah County Republican Party Constitution & Bylaws Committee. This email will focus on some issues facing the Utah County Republican Party and my plans for addressing those issues on the Constitution & Bylaws Committee.

Any member of the Central Committee may propose changes to our governing documents. The purpose of the Constitution & Bylaws Committee is to act as a guardian of these important documents. As a current member of this committee, I have the duty to help each sponsor prepare the best language possible before their amendment goes to the Executive Committee for review and then to the Central Committee for a binding vote, regardless of my personal bias. I trust that the Central Committee can and will make the best decisions for the Utah County Republican Party. I also strongly feel it is the duty of our county party leadership to abide by those decisions.

It has been encouraging to see the recent increase in activism within our Central Committee. During the first year of my term only a handful of proposals were submitted for consideration. During this past year, that number has multiplied four-fold. I believe these proposals to our bylaws reflect changing needs in our county party. I also believe the Constitution & Bylaws Committee must adjust to meet these needs. My action plan for the upcoming term includes:

** Communication & Technology: Using modern technology (new county website, social networks, etc.) to increase effective discussion of bylaw issues before they come to the Central Committee for a vote.

** Constitution & Bylaw Committee Procedures: Adopting a consistent numbering and formatting system for amendment proposals; establishing regularly scheduled and publicly announced committee meetings; and publishing agendas and minutes of committee meetings on the county party website.

** Parliamentary Procedure: Proposing a bylaw amendment to adopt Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (10th edition) as the parliamentary authority for the Utah County Republican Party.

** Delegate Allocation: Drafting a revision of Bylaws 1 and 2 to include alternate delegates, increased clarity and transparency of delegate allocation, a procedure to challenge a precinct’s delegate allocation prior to caucus meetings, clearer procedures for combined or split precincts, and affirmation of the contribution of ex officio delegates including Precinct Chairs and Vice Chairs.

I believe that progress toward these goals will result in greater transparency, effectiveness, and harmony among our county party’s governing bodies. Greater unity will allow us to collectively focus our time and energy on sharing our message of conservative solutions with our neighbors and communities.

Please plan to attend the Central Committee Meeting on August 27th, 7:00 p.m., at Lakeridge Jr. High School in Orem, Utah. More information about this meeting is available at http://www.utahcountygop.org/ .

Again, I would love to earn your vote for the Utah County Republican Party Constitution & Bylaws Committee. If you have questions or thoughts you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact me at home or by email.

I look forward to serving you!

Legislative District 56 Education Officer

[Note: This is the text of an email I sent out tonight to all Utah County Republican Party Central Committee members in my Legislative District.]

Hello District 56 Central Committee Members,

I am running for election as the Education Officer in Leg. District 56 in addition to running for the Constitution & Bylaws Committee. Our former Education Officer, Jeff Ray, resigned earlier this year and I was appointed to take his place.

For the last four months I have enjoyed working with our County Education Officer, Adrielle Herring, and the other Legislative Education Officers in our county. We have met multiple times to develop education priorities for our county, suggest content for the new website, and carry out a Needs Analysis Survey in preparation for the Sept 9th Legislative Officer Training. We are also preparing some county-wide tools for the Legislative Officers to use in their Precinct Caucus Training and New Precinct Officer Training early next year.

I ask for your vote on Thursday evening so I may continue to represent the education needs of our district at the county level and,work with our Legislative District team to educate, organize, and mobilize Republican and Republican-leaning voters within our district.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have. I look forward to working with you!

Sincerely,

Wendi Baggaley

Campaign Time for Republican Party Officers!

Tomorrow night is the Central Committee Meeting and the biennial Legislative District Elections
for the Utah County Republican Party. [Translation: All Republican Precinct Chairs and Vice Chairs etc. in the county will be choosing their leaders at the Legislative District Level - the same geographic areas in which we choose legislators for the Utah State House of Representatives.]

At this meeting, the Central Committee also elects the 7 members of the County Constitution & Bylaws Committee and the 5 members of the County Audit Committee.

Two years ago I ran for and was elected a member of the Constitution & Bylaws Committee. I learned so very much over the past two years! (Perhaps I could do a future post on some of the lessons I've learned.) Now that I've been involved for some time, I see so much work that needs to be done to clarify and "tighten up" our bylaws. I also see a great need for improved education about the bylaws among our Central Committee members. There has been so much unnecessary contention within our party that I believe could be avoided with better education and clearer rules.

So, I am running both for the Education Officer for Leg. District 56 and for a second term on the Constitution & Bylaws Committee!

Honestly, I'm super excited about the work there is to be done, but also a little trepidatious. I know that this is a huge time commitment that I'm getting into and that it will require a lot more personal effort to balance this work with my most important responsibility of being a wife and a mother (not to mention my other roles as sister, daughter, friend, neighbor, primary chorister, etc.)

But I didn't take these steps without first asking for and receiving guidance from my Heavenly Father. Since He knows that I can do it with His help, then I just need to move forward in faith and do my best and things will work out for good. I'm not going to do everything perfectly, and in fact, I'm sure I'm going to fall flat on my face at least a few times if not more. But I'm trying to get really good at saying "I'm sorry" and getting back up and trying again, so that's got to count for something too. Thank heavens for the blessing of repentance!

It also helps that my wonderful Michael supports me 100% and has been praying for me in our family prayers lately that I'll be able to make it through this election without too much stress and that I'll be able to continue to serve and be an influence for good. Wow! Where would I be without him????!!!!

Well, family & friends, pray for me if you would. Our family's off to another new adventure "one day more!"

2nd Amendment USA Today Quiz

A friend of mine recently forwarded this email to me:

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2nd Amendment Issue - Only 5 seconds
Due to the current presidential stand on Gun Laws, USA Today is running a Quick Question on-line. It simply asks, Does the 2nd Amendment give individuals the right to bear arms?

It is frustrating to me that "we the people" are even asked to reiterate a known right that has been around for over 200 years!

This quick questionnaire gives you the right to make your opinion heard. It takes 5 seconds. It is still a live link. Our new Attorney General has already said this is one of his major issues..
This takes literally 2 clicks to complete. Please vote on this gun issue question with USA Today... It will only take a few seconds of your time. Then pass the link on to all the pro gun folks you know. Hopefully these results will be published later this month.

First - vote on this one. Second - launch it to other folks and have THEM vote - then we will see if the results get published. Vote in the USA Today poll - click on the link below.

The Question is: Does the Second Amendment give individuals the right to bear arms?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/quickquestion/2007/november/popup5895.htm

*************************************************

Okay, so yes, I clicked on the site and it was a legitimate USA Today poll. And not surprisingly, the HUGE majority voted "yes".

Before I voted though, I figured it wouldn't hurt to review the 2nd Amendment again because it's been a little while since I studied it.

Here's the text from my pocket US Constitution:

Amendment II:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Now, here's something interesting I just found out. I have a dusty book from ages ago on my bookshelf that I pulled out to read also, "The Constitution of the United States: An Introduction" by Floyd G. Cullop, published in 1969 by Signet Books then 1984 by Mentor Books, both part of Penguin Books USA, Inc. To the author's credit, he has the full original text of the US Constitution in the back of the book, but the majority of his text interprets the Constitution & puts it into "plain" English to make it "easier" to understand. I added the "" marks because this is how he puts the Second Amendment:

Amendment 2: Right to Bear Arms
For their protection and for purposes of having a well-trained militia the people of the states may keep and bear (own) arms (weapons), but the federal government or the state governments may pass laws against owning certain weapons and the way others may be used.

Whoa!!!! Wait a minute!!! Since when does the original language give the government, even the state government, the right to limit this protected freedom to bear arms??? When and how did this idea get enough traction to be placed in a paperback "textbook" guide to the Constitution?

I have to admit, although my conservative nature has leaned to the pro-NRA side of things, I've not really delved into this issue like many of my other friends have done. I know that my state representatives (Senator Madsen and Representative Sumsion) are very pro-Second Amendment, and I'm fairly certain that our 3rd District US Representative Jason Chaffetz is in favor of protecting this precious freedom.

I haven't read any articles lately about our new US Attorney General's stand on the Second Amendment but I'm fairly certain that Obama is about as anti-NRA as anyone can get, apart from maybe actually bombing the national NRA office or something. Of course he would appoint someone as AG that would see issues his way. I still get fairly rankled over Obama's derisive comments about those people "clinging to their guns and their religion" like it was something immature and foolish to want freedom. Of all things!

Well, I think this was a wake up call for me - time to keep my eyes and ears open more to see what our President and his appointees keep trying to do, and time for me to become more active in supporting the original language of the US Constitution!