NC Republican Chair, Tom Fetzer, visits Jackson County GOP Headquarters

State GOP Chair Tom Fetzer and his wife made a surprise visit to the Jackson County GOP Headquarters on Wednesday, February 3 while traveling in western North Carolina. "The visit was a total surprise," reports Dodie, "and was obviously just one of good will. However," she continued, "it is an indication that he recognizes the value of Jackson County in the Republican state organization."
During the approximately hour long visit, Dodie gave Tom a run-down of our organization's activities, including all the information about the Red, White and Blue Gala fundraiser on February 26th, our precinct development and the progress on candidates running for office in the district. Fetzer is the only chairman who has visited Jackson County and it is fortunate that he knew were to come... our headquarters is very visible and anyone looking for the Republicans in Jackson County can find us in a permanent location, unlike the case with many other groups in western North Carolina.

Fetzer assured Dodie that the state organization is very interested in our activities and suggested that we be sure to use the State GOP resources when needed.


Republican Women's Association Formed
A Republican Women's Club, Mountain High Republican Women 's Association, has been organized  to include women from Jackson, Macon and Transylvania Counties.  At the organizing meeting on November 17th North Carolina Federation Mountain District Director Kathy Hildreth guided attendees through to necessary steps to be an official Republican women's Association and subsequently to become a member of the NC and National Federation of Republican Women.  

The organizing committee included Melisa McKim of Cashiers ,Carol Adams, Glenville, Dinah Davis, Highlands , Melinda Barber, Cashiers and Debbie Sanderson, Sapphire.

At the November 17th meeting officers elected are:
President - Melisa McKim, Cashiers
1st Vice President - Melinda Barber, Cashiers
2nd Vice President - Dinah Davis, Highlands
Secretary - Carol Odom, Glenville
Ass't Secretary - Terri Coyle, Sapphire
Treasurer - Maureen Catania, Sapphire
Ass't Treasurer - Elizabeth Hoffman, Toxaway

Jackson County GOP member Carol Adams, Glenville, is the Communications Director for the group.

The goals of the group are to provide national, state and local political information, support Republican candidates and to support other local Republican group efforts in the tri-county area.

All Republican women, local, permanent and seasonal residents, are invited to join and participate as the group gets officially underway. Announcements about luncheons, meetings and events will be made through email (mtnrepublicanwomen@yahoo.com), local publications and radio stations.  

Dues are $50 for Active Member category and #45 for the Associate Member Category. The member application can be found at Participation Opportunities on this website.  For additional information and a member application please email mtnrepublicanwomen@yahoo.com or call (828) 200-0437 .
Repubican Women's Club Officially Launched November 17th

Open Letter to Republican Women

Thank you to the forty Republican women from Jackson, Macon and Transylvania Counties who ventured out on a rainy and cold Tuesday evening to officially launch our Republican women's association.

North Carolina Federation Mountain District Director Kathy Hildreth guided attendees through to necessary steps to become a member of the NC and National Federation of Republican Women.  We adopted our name...  Mountain High Republican Women's Association, ratified the association by-laws, and elected the following dynamic team of officers.

President - Melisa McKim
1st Vice President - Melinda Barber
2nd Vice President - Dinah Davis
Secretary - Carol Odom
Ass't Secretary - Terri Coyle
Treasurer - Maureen Catania
Ass't Treasurer - Elizabeth Hoffman

At check-in on Tuesday attendees immediately completed the inaugural membership form and paid Founding Member dues. The Founding Member 2010 dues level, at $35 for active and associate members, will be in effect until December 31, 2009.   The membership application can be found at Participation Opportunities on this website.

For additional information please contact Mountain High Republican Women's Association (MHTWA) at:

P.O. Box 126
Cashiers, NC 28717
Phone: 828 200-0437

Information about luncheons and events will be sent via email throughout the winter.

Regards from the Organizing Comnmittee
Carol Adams, Glenville
Melinda Barber, Cashiers
Dinah Davis, Highlands
Melisa McKim, Glenville
Debbi Sanderson, Transylvania County  

Republican Women Organize Tri-County Club

Republican women from Jackson, Macon and Transylvania Counties gathered for English Tea at the home of Melinda Barber on Tuesday,  November 3rd to initiate the formation of a Republican Women’s Association.  The core group of organizers headed by Melisa McKim of Cashiers includes Carol Adams, Glenville, Dinah Davis, Highlands , Melinda Barber, Cashiers and Debbie Sanderson, Sapphire. “Several local GOP organizations and numerous Republican women have urged us to organize a women’s group here in our mountain community,” explained McKim.  “It seemed logical to encompass an area transcending county lines,” she continued.

Sixty women attended the inaugural event to hear Martha Jenkins, Vice President of the National Federation of Republican Women, address the group on general Republican issues and to give advice on how local clubs are usually organized.  Jenkins, a resident of Chapel Hill , North Carolina , has served as President of her Chapel Hill Association and of the North Carolina Federation of Republican Women. She has held several positions with the National Federation including chair of the Public Relations Committee and a member of the Legislative Committee before being elected as a National Vice President. Special guests attending the English Tea event were Ann Farrell, President of Franklin’s Gem Country Republican Women’s Association and Kathy Hildreth, North Carolina Federation of Republican Women Vice President, Mountain Region.

The official name of the new tri-county group is yet to be decided but firm plans are for lunch meetings to be held beginning in April next year. Each month a featured speaker or panel will be invited to address a current local, state or national issue intended to provide political and  educational information for attendees.
All Republican women, permanent and seasonal residents, are invited to join and participate as the group gets officially underway. Announcements about meetings and events will be made through local publications and radio stations. For additional information please call (828) 200-0437.

Jackson County Residents Let Their Voices Be Heard in 2009

Jackson County residents participated in two recent events focused on politics and government issues facing our state and nation.  The Concerned Citizens Opportunity – Let your Voice Be Heard event held on Sunday, August 30th in Sylva’s Poteet Park attracted conservative attendees from Jackson County and surrounding counties as well.  The event, hosted by the Jackson County Republican Organization, was moderated by GOP chair Dodie Allen.  Numerous citizens chose to speak out on national issues such as health care reform, excessive taxation and spending, the growing disregard for the U.S. Constitution by Congress and the President and general malaise in the relationship between voters and elected officials.  Comments were also offered on local and state issues including the proposed North Shore Road in Swain County.  The organizers invited Congressman Heath Shuler and Senators Hagan and Burr prior to the event. However, none of the elected officials or their representatives attended including courtesy GOP invitees NC Representative Paul Stam and NC Senator Phil Berger. The officials were thus represented at the event by empty chairs.  According to Allen the Jackson County GOP was very satisfied with the attendance, the quality of the message from those who chose to speak and especially with the additional attendance of people from Macon, Swain, Haywood and Transylvania counties.

On September 12th a sizeable delegation from Jackson County joined the hundreds of thousands of 9-12 marchers in Washington, DC whose protest began with opposition to health care overhaul and grew to a broader dissatisfaction with government.  Some in the Jackson County group joined with the Asheville 9-12 and Taxed Enough Already organizations traveling in chartered buses while others chose to drive or travel by plane.  Despite the colossal marching crowd which extended from steps of the Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Washington Monument, most Jackson County marchers managed to fall in behind the North Carolina state flag for the march and remained with the North Carolina group at the Capitol for the afternoon of speeches. North Carolina was designated to march fourth in line in recognition of the numbers attending from the state and the aid to organizing provided by the various groups in North Carolina.  Reenactor participants… Minutemen, Sons of Liberty, The Statue of Liberty, American Indians and Uncle Sam mingled throughout the crowd.  One “Uncle Sam” was John Chaffee a Glenville resident.  Jackson County GOP officers in attendance were 1st Vice Chair Ralph Slaughter, Cashiers; 2nd Vice Chair Jim Mueller, Glenville and Communications Chair, Carol Adams, Glenville.  All three state that this event was one of the most extraordinary gatherings they had ever attended. Each cites the clever signage, mostly “hand-made”, including those carried by the Jackson County attendees, as being exceptionally to the point. Signs such as Fair Tax, My Family, My Doctor, Seniors Beware, You’ll get Reduced Healthcare, Congress, I Am Not Your ATM, Don’t’ Share My Wealth, Share My Work Ethic, Healthcare Reform = Tort Reform, Abide By the Constitution were carried by participants from beginning to end of the march. Particularly moving was the chant “Can you hear us now?”. The collective answer to the question was “If not, we will be back!”.

Videos of both events can be viewed at www.youtube.com. For additional information please call the Jackson GOP headquarters at (828) 586-9895.

Jackson County Republican Party©, Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
Revised:  February 21, 2010.