The following is an Op-Ed submitted to The Informer and does not necessarily reflect the view of The Informer, the staff of the informer, or the ownership of The Informer or its parent company, The Southen Ohio Publishing, Inc.
Chris Hicks | OP-ED Guest Colmnist |
My name is Chris Hicks and I am running against Greg Simpson for Republican State Central Committee.
Most of you have never heard of me or the office of State Central Committee. But some may know me as the embattled member of the Clermont GOP Executive Committee (as the Chairman of the Union Township, Clermont County GOP). Some may know me as “HicksWatchdog.com,” the Facebook page that shakes the tree of Clermont County party insiders and elites, demanding accountability and reform. Some may know me as the guy who was targeted by ex-Clermont Commissioner David Uible, first by violating my civil rights and then serving me with a protection order to a silence criticism of his brand of crony capitalism (giving $24m to FC Cincinnati and Jeff Berding). Some may know me as the guy who gets guilty pleas from crooked politicians (such as Mr. Uible on 10/25/19).
I am 180 degrees from our incumbent on the Republican State Central Committee, Greg Simpson. I am an authentic conservative. I am pro-life all of the time. I fight corruption, patronage, crony capitalism and tax increases and have wins on all. I have shrunk government in real and measurable ways. I fight back against the liberal agenda in too many of our schools. I am 100% for honesty and integrity in government and 1000% for draining the swamp. I stand with, not give lip service to, President Trump.
The State Central Committee is the governing body of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) and the district mirrors the 14th Senate District. Mr. Simpson was John Kasich’s pick in 2012 for State Central Committee (to block the Tea Party). He was funded richly from afar to be a reliable swamp vote, which he remains to this day. As a member of the State Central Committee, Simpson famously stood with Kasich even after Donald Trump was President-elect. Simpson supported Kasich’s choice to run the ORP over Trump. Mr. Simpson literally blew off supporting Trump even after a 1×1 call reported in the press. Simpson is 100% a Kasich man.
The ORP is an operation that is all about insiders and gives us a stream of lukewarm statewide Republican candidates who do little to reform our state to be more attractive and competitive. It is built around John Kasich and Mike DeWine types, like Greg Simpson. Case closed.
While State Central Committee is an unpaid job, people like Greg Simpson, get “paid” via patronage appointments such as the State Horse Racing Commission. Mr. Simpson brags about it and is known to offer up swamp money via that connection. It is wrong.
Today, Greg Simpson is also the Chairman of the Clermont County Republican Party, the largest and swampiest county-wide Republican party in our district. I am a force in the Clermont GOP for much-needed reform. It is often a David vs. Goliath battle. There have been motions to remove me from the Executive Committee four times in the last year. I have hung on by the skin of my teeth. Get to know me and you will see that, like Trump, I won’t play the insider’s game and that drives them to HDS (Hicks Derangement Syndrome).
And while Clermont is a deep swamp, look at our district and state. The voices of voters get stifled by Columbus. Case in point: The recent appointment of Senator Terry “Swamp” Johnson. Ex-Senator Joe Uecker landed a bogus job at ODOT (that was never posted, and he was the only applicant) and resigned the Senate. That move paved the way for Johnson to be appointed, in order to run as an “incumbent.” Now will come $500,000+ in Columbus funding to make sure Johnson wins the primary. Legitimate candidates (ex: Doug Green and John Becker) run from that overwhelming swamp money. We end up with the sole Republican Primary alternative being ex-Clermont Commissioner David Uible. Uible is literally a convict and an embarrassment (Google him) but also the only person with so little wise counsel in his life to run anyway. It is delusional and a testimony to the failed leadership of Greg Simpson in the Clermont County GOP.
We can be better, and we can do better. The Republican State Central Committee can be an important voice to exterminate corruption, empower new conservative voters and for policies that improve our state and district. It is not today because it is infested with insider agendas and patronage. The foxes guard the hen house.
Simpson and his cronies will tell you I am divisive, angry, combative and simply won’t “let it go” on ethics and integrity. They are right. I am hell-bent to make our district and state better and more truly conservative (meaning more ethical, innovative, merit-based; and a place where all have a fair shot). I want that badly for my family, but especially my 19 year-old son.
I once heard soon-to-be-former Kentucky Governor Bevin speak and he hit on a theme of “How badly do you want it?” One of his examples alluded to Martin Luther King, Jr. He said, “Do you want it badly enough to sit in a Birmingham, Alabama jail to draw attention to something we already knew, deep in our hearts, was wrong.” Our Republican system needs reform at all levels: National, State, District County, Local. We all know it deep in our hearts. Let’s start here and now.
“To fix it, Hicks it” on March 17 in the Republican primary and make a statement for a conservative, God-fearing, life-loving, integrity-founded, values-oriented, freedom-rooted, vital and vigorous future.
Want to do more? Invite Mr. Simpson and me to speak, side by side, at any group of which you are a member. I can guarantee it will be fun, insightful and memorable. I can’t guarantee Mr. Simpson will show up.
