Minutes of the 10 March 2008 meeting of the Headquarters Discussion Group of the Buncombe County Republican Party at Denny's on Patton Ave.

Meeting called to order by Chairman Tim Johnson at 7:35 a.m.

Prayer by Aaron Pettit

Tim will hold meetings 2X per month at the Denny's on Patton, until the primary.

Goals for the party until the primary are:
- get out the vote
- raise money
- get Republicans to conventions and conservative events
- get clear in what we need from volunteers so they can follow through on commitments

Bill Russell has offered to rent BCGOP the top floor of his building (old Ingles homestead building on Hendersonville Rd.)
- Betty gives details:
- 4 big meeting rooms upstairs
- In evenings we can have access to entire building (his company works there during the day)
- 4 or 5 phones upstairs plus 6 phones downstairs in the evenings
- excellent parking
- safe area
- excellent visibility / drive-by traffic
- food nearby
- 1050 square feet (not including downstairs)
- $1000 month - includes utilities but not phone and internet (normally charges $1800/month)

- Drawbacks:
- upstairs is not wheelchair accessible - stairs only
- the upstairs bathroom is not currently functional - toilet and sink needs to be installed

- Meeting attendees agree that this offer is worth pursuing further.

ACTION ITEMS:

- Tim will speak with Bill and get clarification on some issues:
- first right of refusal if he sells building?
- will Bill fix the upstairs bathroom?
- how soon can we have access to the building?
- by when do we need to make a decision?

- Tim will talk with a lawyer (Bob Long) about:
- following federal election laws with regard to candidates using our space
- offering use of space to campaigns / groups for a nominal fee

Strategic Thinking:
- meet with candidates to understand what they need from us and what they expect from us
- raise money
- get organized
- can't do much before primary, but we can position ourselves so we are strong after May 6
- for primary: get out the vote and distribute campaign literature
- need to get people out regardless of presidential primary being already decided or unpopular candidate
- need to make campaign issues "hot" such as metered wells
- make health of the party priority 1, before getting bogged down with the needs of candidates and campaigns
- recognize contributions - money, volunteer time, and wisdom
- need to find better meeting space than Ryan's - too small, new room not private
- Central Committee should know about and discuss issues and ideas before bringing it to the Executive Committee
- JL will be the finance chair and will start a budget committee

ACTION ITEM: Loree will look into new meeting places

Meeting adjourned at 9:00 a.m.

Submitted by Diana Kantor, Acting Secretary