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Meet the MACR chair candidates
By punch bowl | April 10, 2008
Because the MACR chairman’s race is one of the highest profile, competitive races this year, CR Nation thought it would be good if CRs could learn more about the two candidates. A survey was sent to the candidates, who have graciously answered the questions. After reading the questions and answers, give your opinion on who is the better choice by voting in the CR Nation poll. Also, comment with additional questions, as the candidates probably will be checking back often.
Now for the surveys, with the answers in the order that they were received.
Briefly describe your biography, including your background in CRs.
Alee Lockman:
I grew up in a small town in Montana and had the opportunity to get involved with politics and government-related activities in high school. I was active in a model government program called “YMCA Youth and Government”, participated in debate, and was elected Lt. Governor of ALA Girls’ State during the summer after my junior year. I served as a page for the Montana Senate during my junior year, and had the opportunity to do a short internship with Senator Conrad Burns during my senior year in high school.
Upon coming to Harvard, I became involved with several organizations, including the Harvard Republican Club. I was active in planning Support Our Troops Drives, attended several MACR conventions, phone banked during the 2006 elections, and participated in the Conservative Women’s Caucus. At the beginning of this year, I was appointed membership director of our club, and was elected as a vice-president during our past election. Since joining the executive board, I have successfully helped organized several events, including this year’s Conservative Women’s Conference, a speaker event with Karl Rove, and our annual Lincoln Day Dinner. In addition, I planned the widely-popular Bipartisan Paintball Brawl, which is by far the largest bipartisan event on Harvard’s campus. In This summer, I will intern with the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.
Trevor Lair:
I was raised in Chillicothe, Missouri, a small, rural town. I began my involvement in Republican politics with the Matt Blunt gubernatorial race, where I volunteered as a County Coordinator. Blunt won the county by 18% and my passion for campaigns fully developed. The summer prior to college, I worked for a political consultant in Missouri, who is a former CRNC Vice-Chair. He constantly spoke the praises of CR’s and upon enrollment at Boston College, I immediately became active in College Republicans and made it my number one priority. This past summer, I interned in the capitol for Minority Whip Roy Blunt. Over the summer, I also had the chance to go to Georgia and volunteer for Jim Whitehead’s special congressional election. This past year, I served as Vice President of the Boston College Republicans and the Executive Vice Chair of MACR. During the fall, I interned for the Coalitions Department for Romney for President and volunteered for Romney at the Iowa Caucuses for a week. My commitment to the Republican Party is second to none.
What do you consider to be the most important role of CRs?
Alee Lockman:
While only students, College Republicans can have an enormous impact on elections and political activism. As CRs, especially in a state where we are obviously outnumbered, it is important to remain united in our organization and civil in our discourse. Conservative Massachusetts students have the potential to impact the political exchange on their campuses, the opportunity to work closely with MassGOP headquarters, and the abilities prove their leadership abilities, despite their age. Through working on campaigns, CRs have the opportunity to not only convey their conservative beliefs, but to also have a real impact on the political process. CRs especially need to be active in state and local campaigns, where they not only can have the greatest effect but also may be most affected by the results. Through phone banking, canvassing, and attending rallies, CRs have the opportunity to not only become involved in the political process, but to also make a real difference.
Trevor Lair:
Without a doubt, the most important role of College Republicans is to support and campaign for Republican candidates.
Why do you want to be MACR chair?
Alee Lockman:
I believe that the MACR deserves a chair who is dedicated to the position and will act to unite the organization. I want to see the MACR pursue initiatives which encourage women and minorities to become more involved in the Republican Party. I want a transparent MACR which is accessible to all its members and advocates greater partnership between the East and the West. The MACR can be incredibly active in this year’s election and has the potential to achieve great things, and I would love to be a part of that.
Trevor Lair:
I want to be MACR Chair because I believe that I have the experience, skills, and dedication to lead this organization into this crucial time. I feel that my experience as Executive Vice has allowed me to see how the MACR currently functions and my skills as a leader allow me to know how it should. I look forward to retooling the organization to make it a more efficient and effective enterprise.
What are your goals for MACR?
Alee Lockman:
To many non-executives, the MACR appears to be a small board which happens to put on a conference twice a year. I would like to see the MACR and its executive board become more accessible to all members through increased levels of communication, the first of which would be a regular newsletter and a current blog, which would not only be the first step in holding the executive board consistently responsible, but would also allow clubs to more efficiently interact with each other and advertise their events. Through my time as a design board executive a The Harvard Crimson and design director of the Harvard College Economics Review, I have gained significant experience designing publications and communicating through print and online media. I will use these skills to ensure that not only will the newsletter be professionally designed but also that the necessary infrastructure, such as new list-servers for the newsletter, is in place to communicate with all MACR students.
I’m also excited about the MACR’s potential to impact this year’s elections, and will actively work with MassGOP and state chapters to ensure that all interested CRs have the opportunity to become involved in campaigns. Allowing for increased opportunities for clubs to come together throughout the election season will promote unity throughout the organization and will allow for chapters from all parts of the state, not just greater-Boston, to became more actively involved in MACR.
In addition to promoting connectivity through campaigns and increased communications, I will work to ensure that chapters from all regions of the state feel connected to other schools and the MACR organization. Through implementing frequent regional social activities and working with the regional vice-chairs to maintain increase levels of communication with schools, I will actively promote a MACR which maintains solid relationships with chapters and encourages better connections between chapters. In addition to promoting relationships between Massachusetts chapters, I will work toward improving the connections between the MACR and other states’ College Republicans, as well as the MassGOP, The Massachusetts Federation of Young Republicans, and other Republican and conservative organizations.
Trevor Lair:
My main points of emphasis heading into next year will be Campaigning, Chapter Development, Fundraising, and Increasing our Online Presence. I believe that the MACR is in a position to make a difference in several campaigns. I would be disappointed if at the end of the 2008 election cycle the MACR has not been integral in several GOP upsets.
How much time do you intend on devoting to MACR, if elected and what other obligations may limit the amount of time you can spend?
Alee Lockman:
If elected, my position as MACR chair would be at the top of my priorities– it’s impossible to effectively head an organization otherwise. Throughout my time at Harvard, I have held leadership positions in almost every activity I have been involved in, and I have executed all of my duties completely and efficiently. I plan on remaining involved with The Harvard Crimson and the Harvard Republican Club, both of which will strengthen my abilities as chair. Not only will my work with design and layout on The Harvard Crimson be beneficial in promoting state communication, but my I have gained experience and relationships with the press, and would use these skills to promote better relationships between the MACR and news organizations. My work with the Harvard Republican Club has given me extensive experience in planning and executing events and working with communications among students, administrators, businesses, and the press. I feel these responsibilities will compliment my duties as chair and will provide me with valuable insight. As MACR chair, I would be completely dedicated to the organization and would ensure that not only my responsibilities were fulfilled, but also those of the executive board as a whole.
Trevor Lair:
I have no problem spending time to complete a job. During the fall semester, I interned for Romney for President on average 25-30 hours a week. I see the MACR Chair as an even greater time commitment and will treat it as such. I pledge my full commitment to the MACR throughout the summer. This is a fulltime job.
What is your opinion of the current MACR administration, led by Brian Gwozdz? What are the successes and failures, if any, of MACR under Mr. Gwozdz?
Alee Lockman:
The current administration has done an excellent job of fundraising and raising awareness of conservative issues. It’s exciting to see new clubs join the MACR and others become reinstated, and I commend this administration’s efforts and accomplishments. This is not to say, however, that Mr. Gwozdz’s administration has been without its flaws. Communication was perhaps its largest failing, and I feel that this could have perhaps impacted the administration’s abilities to fulfill its goals. The MACR should have been more proactive in regional communications, which could have created a more active MACR which could adequately incorporate schools from throughout the state and would have promoted a connectedness between MACR students and the administration. By using the regional infrastructure to directly target problems in chapters and to identify failures in communication, the MACR can efficiently address any complications which arise, as well as ensure that all chapters are updated on the ongoings of the state organization and have the opportunity to impact what happens on a state level.
Trevor Lair:
I was always taught to compliment in public and criticize in private. Brian and I have had many conversations on matters of the MACR, I know this organization’s strengths as well as its weaknesses. Brian and Jacob did some very positive things for this organization. My number one complement for them would be the strides they made giving the MACR a solid online presence.
Why should MACRs vote for you instead of your opponent?
Alee Lockman:
Ultimately, MACR students should vote for whoever they believe will do the best job. Period. I know that I don’t do anything half-way– I commit myself to everything I do, and would expect nothing less of the next MACR chair. I do believe that my goals have the potential to mold the MACR into an exemplary organization, and I know that my leadership skills will allow me to carry out these goals.
Trevor Lair:
To my knowledge, I have never met my opponent and thus I have nothing bad to say about her. All I can say is that I have the campaign experience to do some special things for this organization and I will commit my all to the job.
Topics: CR gossip, CR federation elections |
April 10th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Are these two really the best we can do?
Trevor Lair has shown himself to be totally incapable of performing his executive responsibilities. I’ve seen him handle situations without couth or superior judgment. He’s not the face MACR needs.
Alee Lockman is an utterly unqualified debutante. As someone who has observed her service to MACR over the last year, I have to say that she is the ultimate beauty pageant candidate. She’s not the mind MACR can afford.
Jeez. I thought we might be able to dig a little deeper in the talent pool this time around.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Wow, could we stop talking about MA for once? Seriously, this is a terrible blog if all we ever hear about is 2 or 3 states. How many blog posts is this for MA in the last 24 hours?
Now post some more CRNC officers looking into the camera and talking. I’ve not had my fill of that today. It needs to be complete with bad lighting and bad audio.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
The most high profile, competitive race? Really? If so, it’s only because CR Nation has fabricated the story to make it so.
Can we seriously stop with the MA, MI obsession?
April 10th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Trevor will have served as the Executive Vice Chairman of the MACR for over 365 days come this Saturday. During that time span, Trevor did not fulfill any of his duties per the constitution:
Section 2. The Executive Vice Chairman shall assume the duties of the Chairman in his or her absence. They shall oversee and coordinate the activities of the Regional Vice Chairmen. They shall also perform any duties assigned by the Chairman or the Executive Board.
If he can’t handle the bare minimum, how is he even qualified to run for Chairman of the organization. Trevor Lair’s made zero contributions to the organization.
He is supposed to manage the 3 regional chairs in the state. Under his term, all three were replaced. What does that say?? If he can’t manage 3 people, how will he manage an entire organization?
He’s seeking the chairmanship just to pad his resume.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Not to take away from either of these two candidates, but does anyone have any idea what’s happening out in California? All I know is that their convention is in ten days…
April 10th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Why are we voting on who’s best? That’s MA CRs job, not outsiders. Why haven’t you guys posted about the other conventions this weekend? I think they have candidates running too, don’t you? I think most readers would concur that we don’t quite care as much about the MACR race as you do, or as you much as you’re trying to get us to
This blog use to kick ass, but it’s been lame lately. I hope these comments (mine and others) inspire you guys to step up and regain your title as the best CR blog for CRs across the nation.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Why are we voting on who’s best? That’s MA CRs job, not outsiders. Why haven’t you guys posted about the other conventions this weekend? I think they have candidates running too, don’t you? I think most readers would concur that we don’t quite care as much about the MACR race as you do, or as you much as you’re trying to get us to
This blog use to kick ass, but it’s been lame lately. I hope these comments (mine and others) inspire you guys to step up and regain your title as the best CR blog for CRs across the nation.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I agree with “…”. I refuse to vote in this poll. It isn’t my place to give an opinion on the MACR election, nor is it the place of anyone else outside of Massachusetts.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
What OTHER conventions are happening this weekend? Didn’t you all say you would post that information on Thursdays? Guess you’re too busy obsessing over Massachusetts. Again.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I have helped out with a lot of GOP stuff in MA for a few years now, and the party has never had good things to say about the CRs in that state. I have never heard of this Alee girl, and she might be great, but I just haven’t heard of her.
However, when talking with the people who run stuff in MA, Trevor has a great reputation. The MACRs are broken - now would be the time to go with someone who at least might get some attention from the major campaigns in MA for once…Plus, he filled some positions that required some level of responsibility and Alee’s seem like they’re all sorta…uh, showy or collegiate.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
The MACR is not broken. It was probaly one of the best functioning states in the United States until the past two weeks.
Trevor Lair’s head is broken.
April 11th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I don’t think any of the four principals here (Gwozdz, Lair, Ventura, and Lockman) are great choices. It’s really a shame that some of the more talented people in the organization didn’t want to step forward.
However, Jacob Ventura could probably do the job better than the others. MACR would do well if he stepped forward and did run. Jacob has his own flaws but he’s miles ahead of the other options.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Is this girl a joke? Aparently, no one has shared with Alee that the press is never a positive source for spreading the conservative message. If she can’t see that the liberal MA media exists purely to further their liberal agendas, how is she going to make MACR effective in assisting candidates in this crucial election cycle? I think some actual on the ground campaign experience would go along way to improve her political acumen as well as her leadership potential.
April 12th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
As far as I can tell, Alee is a beautiful person who really doesn’t have that experience.