Some Republicans Want Campbell's Resignation

The chairman of the Baltimore County Central Committee says he will not resign from the position he's held since October even though a majority of his own committee are expected to call for his ouster tonight.

As many as 20 members are expected to sign the letter which will be presented to Campbell at a meeting tonight in Timonium.

"They want to overturn the election," said Campbell.

Nearly 16,000 county Republicans voted for Campbell in last year's primary election. The county party chairman is believed to be the only such position elected by the public rather than the committee itself.

Steve Kolbe, a Towson resident and member of the committee, said Campbell "is a good man" but that the last nine months have taken a toll on the organization.

"There are a number of important matters that are about to come about," Kolbe said. "We need good leadership who can stand as a valued and valuable partner with our legislators to oppose these issues."

A Rough Start

The letter expressing no confidence has been building since Campbell took office in October.

Kolbe said the decision was a difficult one.

"Chairman Campbell has made a number of steps that were unnecessary and alienated members of the committee," Kolbe said, adding that nearly one-quarter of the committee has left since being elected last year.

At his first meeting with the group after the September election, Campbell told the group that he understood that many of them hadn't voted for him but that they had to work with him any way.

A majority of the 28 members had voted for Chris Cavey, who headed the organization for seven years. That group of Cavey supporters successfully opposed Campbell's attempt to stack the committee's executive board with his own supporters.

Campbell was also criticized for what some said were attempts to use his new position to

Campbell later raised eyebrows with a letter that encouraged two new Republican councilmen to form a coalition that would of the council.

Just a month after being sworn in, Campbell, a minister, had to hold what he called a "" with disgruntled committee members. He also dared his own committee to try and .

Earlier this year, Campbell testified before a committee charged with redrawing the council districts. During that testimony, . Kolbe and other members of the committee said the central committee had never been asked for, nor had it taken any position on redistricting.

Campbell also faces criticism for not leading the county party to oppose speed cameras and the effort to place a bill that would give in-state tuition to some illegal immigrants on the 2012 ballot.

That party's only statement on the issue came last week when Campbell congratulated grassroots organizers for clearing an initial Maryland State Board of Elections hurdle.

The last straw

An in April appears to have been the final straw.

The event is the major fund-raiser for the committee but it raised just $2,500 after expenses compared to nearly three-times that amount raised last year. Campbell, in a blog post last July during the campaign, wrote that the committee and its chairman should be able to raise at least $15,000 from the event.

Only about 150 people paid to attend the 2011 event.

"He's clearly demonstrated his inability to lead," Kolbe said. "(Campbell) does not share Republican values."

"Leadership skills are not learned on the job," Kolbe added. "It is unlikely that after nine months the chairman will suddenly develop these skills."

Six of the 28 committee members elected last fall have resigned.

"It's clear that change is urgently needed," Kolbe said, adding that the future of the party in the county is in the balance.

"I refuse to follow Tony Campbell over a cliff," Kolbe said.

Campbell said only one committee member—Ann Miller—left because of him. Kolbe was later picked to fill her position. The other five left for other reasons, according to the chairman.

'Some things I've done wrong.'

Campbell said the committee should shoulder some of the responsibility for the decline in revenue from it's Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner event.

"I had a committee that, at least partially, wasn't going to be responsible and sell tickets," Campbell said. "I had to plan an event where at least one-third of the committee wasn't going to sell tickets."

Despite that, Campbell said he's not been perfect, either.

"There's some things I've done wrong," Campbell said.

Among those was the failure to include Dels. Sue Aumann and Kathy Szeliga in the April event meant to be a celebration of Republican women.

The letter urging the support of Oliver, a Democrat as the next council chairman, was also a mistake, he said.

"It was a mistake," Campbell said. "I should have figured people wouldn't see the logic in it."

"Those are the two big ones," Campbell said. "I fully regret the mistakes I have made."

The real issue, according to Campbell, is that many on the committee are still bitter that he's chairman at all.

"There are a lot of people still upset that I won," Campbell said.

Back to the future?

Kolbe, who was appointed to fill a vacancy, denies harboring any resentment.

"This is about a failure of leadership," Kolbe said. "Nothing more. Nothing less."

Kolbe said he is not interested in returning Cavey to the chairman's position.

"This has nothing to do with Chris Cavey," Kolbe said. "I'm not interested in bringing Chris Cavey back. We're moving forward."

Cavey, who is no longer a member of the central committee, said he's not interested in a comeback.

"I've moved on," said Cavey in a brief interview.

Cavey spent much of the 2010 election season working not for his own re-election but as a paid staffer on former-Gov. Robert Ehrlich's campaign. Since the election, he's spent time working on issues such as redistricting for the state party.

He declined to comment on issues with the county committee.

Maintaining the status quo

The issue between Campbell and his committee is not likely to be resolved tonight.

The bylaws do not allow the committee to remove its chairman except in some extreme cases. The group can isolate him.

"They've pretty much already done that," Campbell said.

But the majority of the committee could begin to refuse to vote for any of Campbell's initiatives or even go so far as to do the minimal amount of business required each month and then end their meetings.

The state party may not be able to do much either.

Ryan Mahoney, a spokesman for the Maryland Republican Party, said neither side had asked the party to help. It's not clear what the party can ultimately do, if anything, he said.

Kolbe said he worries about the future if Campbell refuses to step down.

"I fear the attrition continues if we keep the status quo," he said.