Gordana Schifanelli won Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor in 2022 Gubernatorial Election. She was born and raised in Yugoslavia and survived NATO Bombing and balkanization of her native Yugoslavia. She is the first foreign born and Naturalized US Citizen who won the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor in Maryland’s history.
She did not participate in any January 6 controversy or called anyone a traitor
She has been a champion of Parents rights having raised 3 boys in Maryland public schools and later in private schools.
She organized the historic “write-in” election in 2020 for Queen Anne’s County School Board which ended the rain of terror and racial hostility promoted by the Black Lives Matter activist Superintendent during COVID-19 and in 2020 schools shut downs.
Gordana was an open critic of shut downs, mandatory vaccinations with the experimental mRNA vaccines and a pioneer for School of Choice, competition and free market in all areas of Maryland’s economy. She is a strong voice Against Chesapeake Bay pollution and supporter of the military and police officers in the local counties.
Upon the debilitating losses of all republican candidates in Maryland during the 2022 Gubernatorial races, Gordana was nominated for the MD GOP Chair since it’s current Chair Dirk Haire decided to step down and not run again. Mr. Haire was subjected to much controversy himself for running his wife’s campaing for Anne Arundel County Executive and using MD GOP resources to benefit his wife and the few elites inside the executive board like Nicolee Ambrose, Maryland Committeewomen who violated MD GOP Bylaws for running for the Second Congressional district agaist Dutch Ruppersberger, a long standing Democrat while still holding the office of Committeewomen, which is strictly prohibited by the Bylaws, Section 5.
To prohibit compliance with Maryland Bylaws and Gordana’s candidacy, Dirk Haire created an internal e-mail communication with central committee members, excluding Ms. Schifanelli from learning about his own arbitrary “deadline” set up contrary to the bylaws.
We are reporting Dirk Haire’s communication to the central committee members and Ms. Schifanelli’s response in its entirety.
Dear Mr. Haire,
Today you sent an email copied below to all Central Committee Members.
“From: Dirk Haire [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2022 11:06:43 AM
Subject: Nominations
Dear CC Members:
It has come to my attention that some individuals failed to file their nominations paperwork by the deadline of 5 pm November 9th, as set forth in the Convention Packet which was sent to all central committee members on October 3, 2022, October 10, 2022 and a reminder sent on October 17, 2022. The State Party staff provides all nomination information received – timely or not – to the Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee then meets, which it did on November 20, 2022, and decides if a late nomination has provided a good reason for filing late. If a good reason is not provided, then based on past practice over decades and hundreds of nominations, the Nominations Committee rejects the late nominations.
Section 9.1(g) of the Bylaws provides the authority for the Nominations Committee. It does not include a specific deadline for submitting nominations for the Nominations Committee review. That is certainly a change to the Bylaws that the State Central Committee could make at a future convention. I assume the reason that the Bylaws have not been changed in that regard is that, as I mentioned, for decades, the deadline has been established in the Convention Packet, which everyone receives with ample notice, meaning that the deadline doesn’t “sneak up” on anyone. The obvious reason for even setting a deadline is that we have to have some kind of cut-off so that the Nominations Committee can do their work in advance of the Convention and everyone can know sufficiently in advance who the nominees are and so that the nominees are able to campaign.
Moreover, if someone fails to submit their nomination paperwork by the deadline, they can still be nominated from the floor, per our Bylaws, which allows for floor nominations if 2/3s of the state central committee votes to open floor nominations. As a result, there is still an ability for nominations to come from the floor if they are able to convince 2/3s of the state central committee colleagues that even though the Nominations Committee didn’t believe their tardy submission was for good reason, they can convince the overall state central committee otherwise by a super majority.
I want to be abundantly clear that this process is discretionary in the judgement of the Nominations Committee members. There is no bylaws mandate that establishes the cut-off date. There is also no legal ability for someone who files late to force themselves into the Nominations Committee report. You all can change that, if you wish, at a future convention.
However, for purposes of this particular convention, we have followed the same process as we have for decades, and the Nominations Committee has done their work and provided their reporting on who is eligible and timely filed.
If individuals who filed untimely nominations paperwork wish to be considered for certain officer positions, I encourage them to include in their campaign efforts the reason why they failed to file timely, and work to convince state central committee members that their oversight was for good reason, notwithstanding the 37 days notice all interested individuals had to submit their paperwork.
Dirk Haire
Chairman
Maryland Republican Party
Your email reeks with false statements.
The By Laws are the governing authority for this convention and for accepting nominations.
Section 9.1(g) does not authorize anyone (you or Corine Franks) to send instructions materially different from the By Laws and to set up the time limits for anyone to be deemed “LATE”.
The procedure for nominations is set forth in the By Laws; that is: the nominations are sent to the Nominating Committee (not Corine).
The Nominating Committee then follows 9.1 (g) 1, 2 and so forth.
While you stated that Convention package was sent in the past in the following manner, it doesn’t make it lawful or in accordance with the By Laws.
Moreover, you had 6 years to remedy all deficiencies in the By Laws and you did not.
There are no individuals who filed anything “untimely” because the Time is not set by the By Laws.
Furthermore, the “package” you claim set forth the new rules contrary to the By Laws, are not and have not been received by the Candidates. You cannot unilaterally change the By Laws or set up conditions for “filing for excuses for being late”. No one is late because there is no time and deadline. Former practices do not change By Laws either.
Lastly, the Candidates cannot be excluded for filing late or required to provide “explanation” for filing “late” when there is not requirement of that nature in the By Laws for them to follow.
As a fellow attorney, I clearly understand that there is a pre-text for excluding me and Unity Team from participating in the process.
The burden is not on the candidates to prove that they filed when they filed ( 11/9 and within 30 days for reasonable investigation and determination of eligibility to serve – also not set forth in 9.1(g), but the burden is on you to explain new, additional requirements placed on the outside candidates which prejudices those who simply follow the By Laws.
It is disappointing to see that MD GOP would engage is willful act of violations of the By Laws.
