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BY FLORENCE GILKESON: Senior Writer

Moore County Republican activists say they are concerned about an e-mail message attributed to “Concerned Republicans in Moore County,” but they said they are not the source of it.

The message, dubbed “Executive Committee Meeting Notes,” was e-mailed to The Pilot newspaper and apparently to a number of Republicans on Feb. 14.

In the past week, several Republicans who attended a recent county executive committee meeting have come forward to refute the information contained in the anonymous e-mail.

“It is not true. It is a fabrication,” said William E. Thurman, a retired lieutenant general with the U.S. Air Force.

Thurman and his wife, Joan, attended the Feb. 9 meeting, and both say that they did not hear or witness any of the happenings related in the e-mail message.

The controversy targets Elizabeth Kelly, chairwoman of the Moore County GOP and also chairwoman of the 6th Congressional District Executive Committee.

A group of Moore County Republicans, including the Thurmans, has expressed concern about Kelly’s service and has called for her to step down as county chairwoman.

However, the Republicans refuting the anonymous e-mail include Kelly’s supporters and detractors.

The e-mail letter generated a series of responses from committee members who deny the allegations contained in the message.

Of particular interest was the allegation that Kelly “angrily yelled at Bonnie Dougherty, telling her to ‘sit down and shut up’ when Mrs. Dougherty was attempting to ask a question of her.”

Not only does Kelly deny making such a remark, but Dougherty also denies it.

In an e-mail response, Dougherty said: “Elizabeth Kelly did NOT angrily shout at me at any time during our executive meeting. I was able to speak several times and declared plainly that we have two elected officials who have done a great deal for our party and who will obviously represent us in Republican politics until a future election may determine otherwise.”

“I don’t ever remember telling anyone to shut up and sit down,” said Kelly when asked about the incident.

Kelly laughed and added, “I may have thought about it, but I’ve never said it. And if I had said that, it certainly wouldn’t have been to Bonnie.”

Dougherty said she deplores unsigned memos or letters. She said she gives no credence to allegations made by people without the courage or courtesy to sign their names.

‘False Representations’

“The Executive Committee meeting notes sent to The Pilot are false representations of what actually took place, and as such should not be publicized,” Dougherty said. “Gosh, who needs those rascally durn Democrats to argue with when we have such ornery folks in the Republican Party. Except for a few, we’re really very nice people.”

Joyce Omer, treasurer of the county party, is among those who have criticized Kelly’s leadership. She, too, joined the ranks of those charging that the e-mail message contains little more than untruths.

“While I certainly do not defend Mrs. Kelly and her actions, the e-mail regarding our executive committee meeting was so in error that it was unbelievable,” Omer said.

Omer also said Alan Kelly videotaped the entire meeting and that should be proof that the e-mail is spurious.

In her capacity as county party treasurer, Omer filed a list of complaints against Kelly when she submitted her 2003 report to the State Board of Elections. Omer told Gary Bartlett, executive director of the state board, that she could not fully account for all transactions because the chair took over the handling of some funds without the treasurer’s knowledge.

The State Board of Elections has sent an investigator to interview Omer since her report was submitted in January.

Although Omer raised some questions about the way in which Kelly conducted the Feb. 9 meeting, she denies the allegations in the anonymous e-mail message.

The source of the anonymous electronic message was the subject of speculation by several Republicans.

No one would speak for publication about these suspicions. However, they did mention individuals who support Kelly and oppose state Rep. Richard Morgan. On this subject, they speculate that one or two Republicans composed the message to appear as if it had been written by Kelly’s detractors in the hope of discrediting opponents and gaining support for Kelly and her followers.

Among those responding to the e-mail were people who called on The Pilot not to publish the anonymous e-mail message or to mention it.

“I trust that The Pilot, and all concerned, will recognize this unsigned letter for what it is and place it in the ‘round file’ where it richly deserves to lie forever,” said Vern Pike, who called the letter “spurious.”

Pike is a Pinehurst precinct chairman. He was named finance chair during the Feb. 9 meeting, a position formerly held by Bob Tweed.

“The Moore County Republican Party is filled with well-meaning, courageous citizens who are willing and able to stand up to attacks on the party,” Pike said in an e-mail. There is room for all in the party and there are many factions within the party — a normal, routine state of affairs, common to any active and forward-looking political organization.

“To attack the elected chairwoman of the party on such particularly nefarious and complete untruths is a cheap shot by people who ought to know better.”

Opposite Effect

And in an interview recently, Pike said the result of the anonymous message might well be the opposite of what the writer intended. With people on both sides of the controversy raising the same objections, he thinks the e-mail letter may actually bring different factions together, something he wants to happen before the November general election.

Gerald Taylor, West Aberdeen Precinct chairman, also responded by e-mail, using his nickname Ged Taylor. He is mentioned in the anonymous e-mail as being fired as party Webmaster by Kelly “for no apparent reason.”

In his signed e-mail, Taylor said he does not know who wrote the anonymous e-mail account of the meeting but says “it seems inaccurate at best.”

In a telephone interview, Taylor said that he had already submitted a letter of resignation because his work schedule would not permit him to take care of all the details required of the webmaster.

“It was inaccurate, to say the least,” Taylor said. He said reports that he was fired “was completely erroneous.”

Henry C. Francis, who succeeded Taylor as Webmaster, likewise responded by way of e-mail and said he “found only one shred of truth in any of it.” Francis said he was appointed Webmaster but only after Taylor “resigned of his own volition” and after he had explained his reasons to Francis.

“It appears that the facts were changed to promote their agenda while the names remained the same to falsely impugn Chairman Elizabeth Kelly,” Francis said.

Francis said that Taylor made his resignation and his position on the issue very clear to him before the committee meeting.

“If there was any pressure at all, it has come from these vociferous enemies of the chairman that continue to stoop to new lows in their campaign of hateful lies and misinformation,” Francis said.

“The ‘Concerned Republicans across Moore County’ issue a call to remove Chairman Elizabeth Kelly on the grounds of their hateful lies. Honest, responsible Republicans in this county want nothing to do with these liars or their efforts to destroy the Moore County Republican Party Executive Committee,” Francis said.

At the end of his message, Francis describes the anonymous e-mailers as “virtual Democrats.”

Attacks on Morgan

The anonymous e-mail opens with a reference to a previous letter and calls attention to recent letters to the editor of The Pilot in which writers have declared “broad-based support” for Elizabeth Kelly among Moore County Republicans.

“This is simply not true,” the e-mail says. “At the most recent GOP Executive Committee meeting, she was sure to lose a few more supporters as well.”

The e-mail writer follows this with a series of notes pertaining to Kelly’s conduct of the committee meeting.

In addition to refusing to recognize people wishing to speak, the e-mail said “Kelly used her bully pulpit to launch an assault on Rep. Richard Morgan. She referred to him as a ‘RINO’ and a sell-out to the party.”

RINO stands for “Republican in name only.”

Elsewhere, the anonymous e-mail said Kelly chastised state Sen. Harris Blake of Pinehurst for supporting Morgan.

Other criticisms take note of appointments made without committee votes, the writing of checks and approval of a Web site that “is nothing more than a slam on Rep. Richard Morgan.”

The e-mail also charges that Kelly approved the Web site designed by Dave Burton, a Wake County resident.

Vern Pike said it was made clear at the committee meeting that Kelly has nothing to do with establishment of the Web site designed by Burton. It is not the same Web site serving the Moore County Republican Party, although the county name is part of the e-mail address for both sites. He said Kelly did not support the Burton Web site but did encourage fellow party members to get cracking on a county-generated GOP Web site during this election year.

People responding to the anonymous message shared criticisms of Kelly’s conduct of the committee meeting, but their comments were not among the allegations made by the anonymous e-mail writer.

One complaint centered on participation in the county committee meeting by two outsiders, including Burton and state Rep. John Blust of Guilford County. One critic said that Burton spent 45 minutes addressing the committee. Blust is an open opponent of Morgan.

Latest Round

The series of e-mail messages apparently represents the latest in a volley of verbal fisticuffs directed at both Morgan and Kelly.

Morgan, who has represented Moore County in the state House of Representatives since 1991, was elected co-speaker of the House last year in a rare coalition of the Republican and Democratic parties.

This sharing of the top office developed after the House was evenly divided between representatives of both parties. Members of both parties refused to budge when it came to voting for someone from the opposing party.

Morgan overcame the stalemate by successfully launching a campaign for the speakership after declining to support the initial nominee of the Republican caucus, Rep, Leo Daughtry of Johnston County.

Daughtry later dropped out of the running, and another man was nominated.

Additional maneuvering led to the election of Morgan as one of the two speakers. The other speaker is Democrat Jim Black of Mecklenburg County.

Although Morgan and Black set aside many of their partisan ways to cooperate during the 2003 sessions, the experience has left Morgan with numerous enemies in the House and at the state GOP level.

In recent weeks, state Republican leaders have been in Moore County searching for GOP opponents to Morgan in the 2004. One candidate, Peggy Crutchfield, has emerged but said this group did not recruit her.

In the meantime, also on the homefront, a group has emerged seeking the removal of Kelly as chair of the Moore County Party.

One view of these happenings focuses on dissension between Kelly and Morgan. However, Republicans responding negatively to the anonymous e-mail come from both sides of that issue.