Thursday, April 29, 2010

Manatee's Sharff quits GOP position to support Crist

Paul Sharff, the Florida Republican Party’s committeeman for Manatee County, announced today that he was resigning his party position in order to support the independent candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

Sharff on Wednesday told the Bradenton Herald he would resign because of his affinity for Crist.

Here is Sharff’s statement released Thursday:
To ALL the Voters of Manatee County
It is with mixed sadness and joy that I resign today as the Florida Republican State Committeeman for Manatee County.It is a sadness, as I have enjoyed being the hands on representative elected by the Manatee County Republican Voters almost 2 years ago, and it is a joy that I will now help elect the next Republican Senator from Florida running on the Independent Ticket, our Great Governor Charlie Crist. I took a loyalty oath that when elected the Republican Committeeman I would only support the Republican Candidate on the Republican Ballot in an Election. Although Governor Crist will still remain a Republican, he has announced today that he will run for the United States Senate on the Independent Ticket. Although this is a controversial decision for some, it is by far the best thing for the people of Florida. In these times of political unrest, the people of Florida need and deserve a representative in Washington that is not just all about politics. We need someone who is all about the people. That person is Charlie Crist. This is a new day in Florida Politics and this bold move will have a ripple down effect throughout our Great Country and I look to see many changes in the political landscape.

I have been a registered Republican since I was 18 years old, I have been an active member of the local Manatee County Republican Party for almost 20 years and served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Party for a decade. I will remain a Republican just as Charlie Crist will. Charlie Crist has been a champion for the elderly and children since he started his political career. Our State Legislature put our Governor in a no win situation last week when they sent The Education Bill to his office. The Governor vetoed the bill because it was the right thing to do. The bill had some good points, but had many more bad ones. Teachers and Educators deserve better than what was proposed. As we move forward with the Independent Campaign, I ask voters to look at the Governors Record. Some criticized the Governor for taking the Stimulus Money last year. I know firsthand of the economic problems that face all of us today. With a local unemployment rate that is one of the highest in the nation, I cannot imagine how much worse things would be here in Florida had the Governor not accepted these funds. Charlie Crist is a man of his word. He will be the Senator of the People and for the People.

Sincerely

Paul A. Sharff

2 comments:

  1. I respect Mr. Sharff and his political acumen and I can't imagine the intestinal fortitude that it took for him to stand by someone who stood by him like this. But if news accounts are correct Gov. Crist has indicated that he will change his party affiliation to "NPA". Mr. Sharff apparently believed for a number of years that the Republican cause was the right direction; now Gov. Crist has put the hard work and dedication of numerous Paul Sharffs around the state aside for his own political ego. He is certainly not what we need in DC now; we already have plenty of ego maniacs under the Dome!

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  2. You have to be kidding ! Sharff is a failure just like charlie Crist..the two together couldn't read a balance sheet, they are zero's !

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