Local GOP to vote on leader

Friday, Jan. 15, 1999 | 12:12 p.m.

Members of the Clark County Republican Central Committee will gather Tuesday night at the Showboat to determine whether to keep or oust their chairman.

The recall vote for Chairman Milton Schwartz and the other elected officials will start at 6:30 p.m. and will last just one hour. There are 850 members in the committee.

Party dissidents claim that local GOP leaders failed to provide a grassroots effort for Republican office-seekers during last year's elections.

Two thirds of the ballots are needed to recall Schwartz and the others.

Chuck Muth, a consultant to the state GOP and a member of the Clark County party, said he supports the leadership, but urges all Republicans to show up to vote.

"I fear there may be apathy," Muth said. "If 80 dissidents show up and only 20 of Mr. Schwartz's supporters are there, he will be out. So I would like to see a large turnout."

At a meeting Wednesday night, a number of disgruntled party members sought to settle the matter then. However, they lacked a quorum to start the meeting.

Muth, who is state chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, said there will be no speeches prior to Tuesday's vote. Members will go into a conference room, show photo IDs and cast their ballots.