CHANGING OF THE GUARD

The Oakland County Republican Party has a new command roster, beginning with R. (Robert) Vance Patrick as chair, replacing Rocky Raczkowski, who retired from the command post. Vance was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 2020 against Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield) who took 79.3 percent of the vote. Patrick also attempted in 2022 another run for Congress but was disqualified from appearing on the ballot  for the August primary. As chair of the county party, Vance Patrick is joined by Terri Nallamothu as vice-chair, along with Linda Halloway as treasurer, Jacob Dimick as deputy treasurer, and Jacob Newby as county party secretary, with Erin Pruitt as deputy secretary. Although some insiders credit Patrick for his high energy level, others say he doesn’t  necessarily realize the amount of work that some of his new ideas will entail. Still others express concern that the new county party chair is more aligned with the fringe element of the GOP. Party stalwarts would have preferred Anthony Paesano of Bloomfield Township who challenged Democrat Samantha Steckloff for the new 19th District State Representative spot, with the latter taking 67 percent of the 2022 general election vote.  One of his supporters described Paesano as a “better fit for the county” party but admits the effort to grab the county chair spot simply started too late before the Oakland GOP Executive Committee made its decision.