Torres Seeks GOP Leadership

Rick Torres, former Republican candidate for mayor and Congress, wants to be the next Connecticut GOP chair. Rick is super conservative as Connecticut Republicans go, but maybe there’s an argument to be made there as the state GOP seeks to regain its footing within the state legislature, state constitutional offices and Congressional seats. Rick set off a firestorm within his own ranks when as Bridgeport GOP chair he endorsed Democrat Chris Caruso for mayor in 2007, saying he wanted to break the Democratic political machine’s grip on the city. Bridgeport GOP officials removed Torres as party leader. Rick was also the Republican candidate for mayor in 2003. Torres’ letter to GOP State Central Committee members who will chose a chair:

April 3, 2011

Dear State Central Member,

My name is Rick Torres. I am a Republican from Bridgeport. I am 51 years of age and I have been a city resident for most of my life; living a life of hardship in poverty for a while and as a member of the middle class for a longer while.

I understand how tedious it must be to read these pitch letters. I hope I’ve made mine entertaining and worthy of your time. I hope we have an opportunity to meet so that you can further assess my competence for this job.

I want to be our state Party’s next Chairman. I hope you will entertain the notion of my candidacy while you read my vision on the current state and future possibilities for the Republican Party in Connecticut. I understand that electing a new state chairman is for the most part a beauty contest. This letter will demonstrate to you that in consideration of where our party finds itself today, I am ideally “good-looking” to help restore our party to a position of relevance.

I am a minority, and without consideration of my other positive characteristics for leadership, the simple act of electing me will send a strong message to state residents that the Republican Party is reaching out to urban voters and especially to minorities. The simple reality is that recognizing our shortcoming in this area and wanting to reach out to minorities is half the battle. We must be bold.

But is electing me too risky? Will I ostracize too many Republicans? Will white voters be put off by my candidacy? I believe that I easily fit into any forum, be it ethnic or rural or corporate. Here are some of my credentials:

• I am well educated. St. Ann School 74, Bullard Havens (Carpentry) 78, Milford Academy 79, Washington University in St. Louis (BA Biology 3.49 GPA in a pre-med program) 83, UCONN Health Center 87

• I have been in business since 1987. Harborview Market in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport since 1993.

• I have been involved in the Bridgeport community since 1983. Basketball Coach, Little League (Coach, Board of Directors, President). Active member of Catholic Church and Chairman of Construction Committee (Gymnasium and Church Rehab), active member of neighborhood associations.

• I ran for mayor as a Republican in 2003. I attained the highest vote totals for a Republican in 20 years 41% in a city 6:1 D:R. Mary Moran won in 1990 when city was 2:1 D:R. I orchestrated a successful Congressional Bridgeport GOTV in 2006.

• In a time of crisis in Bridgeport 2007 I tried to eliminate the Democratic Machine in Bridgeport by helping a Democrat run against the political machine. That was unsuccessful. In that year’s general election I helped Mike Garrett (State Central Member) run for mayor. More information is available if needed in this matter.

• I unsuccessfully ran in a primary for Congress in 2010, garnering the support of every National and nearly all State Conservative organizations who endorsed in the primary. Among the endorsers was Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who only endorsed 6 people nationwide. www.ronpaul.com/2010-07-29/ron-paul-endorses-peter-schiff-and-rick-torres

• Self-trained in economics and government. Well read in the following authors: Locke, Smith, Hume Bastiat, Hayek, Kirk, Hazlitt, Friedman, Shelby Steele & Sowell.

• I am passionate about freedom. I am embarrassed that minorities don’t participate in the American Dream.

• I am well spoken. I write OP-ED’s regularly in the CT Post. This past Friday’s edition contains one of my OP-ED’s which is an attack on the notion that Socialism and Christianity are related. I will include a copy of that letter with this posting.

• As an American of Cuban decent, I speak Spanish fluently. I can and have carried our message to the inner city Hispanic community.

• As a native from Bridgeport, I grew up and went to high school with many in the inner city. In high school, I played basketball at the highest levels. I was the captain of my basketball team junior and senior years and was honorable mention All-State in both basketball and football. This adds up to urban credibility. In our nation’s cities, basketball credibility is an important way to breakdown communication barriers.

• Having grown up abjectly poor I can relate to the issues of poverty. I can honestly express our side’s philosophy as the means to find the way out of poverty.

• I was president of my own Internet start-up company just before the Internet bubble popped. I was the lead programmer on the project and we developed unique techniques that are now common place, but did not exist before. I can and will institute a technology strategy that can help all us in our own areas.

• I am also a student of “old school” politics. It is my contention that we must go back to the beginning. Campaigns are won and lost on the ground. We must get our candidates and their staffs back on the street wearing out some leather and changing minds.

I have enclosed another PDF which explains what I see as the realities we face and my interpretation of what must be done. I thank you in advance for your consideration. Please feel free to contact me directly. My telephone number is 203.610.4724.

Sincerely yours,

Rick Torres