November 22, 2008
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegance. followed by Dominick Dina welcoming the audience to the first meeting at Grady's Barbeque. There was renewed interest in the club among existing members and several newcomers.

Following introductions and financial report, Johnny Lovejoy, SREC reprentative for SD 26 was introduced. Dr. Lovejoy first said to forget the 2008 election. It is over and we need to rebuild the local party in the context of Bexar County precinct lines. A plan is being developed to examine leadership and organize our precinct chairs to better utilize their strengths. He also emphasized the need for the Republican party to recruit and support new candidates for all public offices in Bexar County. To re-establish, we need to grow outside of our current strongholds. He concluded by reminding the audience that we need to communicate our wishes to elected officeials and alawys apply logic to our voting decisions based on candidates' similarity to our own.

After questions and discussion, everyone was given an opportunity to speak.

Dominick Dina then started by requesting nominations for officers. A motion was made to postpone the election until the January meeting so that newcomers could evaluate the roles they might wish to fill. The motion was passed. The election of officers will take place on January 24, 2009

August 23, 2008
Johnny Lovejoy presented energy and education initiatives recommended to the state of Texas.

July 24, 2008
The club discussed the upcoming fall election and possible strategies to recruit fellow conservatives.

June 28, 2008
Johnny Lovejoy summarized the major events at the Republican Party Of Texas Convention.

May 24, 2008
Blood Drive.

April 26, 2008
This was the first time the Northwest Republican Club met at the Texas Star Grill. The atmosphere and food is terrific and new and old members were in attendance. The meeting was called to order and began with the pledge of allegiance. Tom Marks of the Texas Victory 2008 introduced himself and handed out volunteer forms. He emphasized that any contribution of time would help. Then Kevin Wolff, candidate for Bexar County Commissioners Court, Precinct 3 was then introduced. He summarized his military and business experience and explained how he became involved in politics. He also emphasized the political differences between himself and his father. Included in his record are his successes on city council such as increasing city funding for street repair and increasing the number of police ranks by 100 officers. His goals on Commissioners Court include consolidation of overlapping and redundant county and city services, budgetary control, rein the growing county bureaucracy, and advocacy for citizens by bridging between the county and higher state elected officials. He finally discussed the upcoming visitor tax ballot and supported keeping the visitors tax for San Antonio river improvements, youth sports facilities and performing arts. He was undecided on the prosed funding formthe AT&T Center because of lack of detail regarding the expenditures.

March 22, 2008
The meeting was then called to order and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. The guest speaker was State Representative Frank Corte, Jr. (Dist. 122). Rep. Corte started by discussing how he entered politics by becoming a precinct chairman. He then discussed the unusual nature of the recent primary election. The democrats had a large number of first-time primary voters because of the uncivil war between their presidential candidates. However, there were more Republican primary voters compared to the GOP turnout in previous primary elections. He also emphasized the importance of targeting base voters and the importance of campaign volunteers. Rep. Corte then spoke of the role of the Republican majority in Texas in encouraging business and jobs in our state. Republican policies have created an economy in Texas is faring better than other locations in the United States. Rep. Corte believes that the surplus revenue of Texas should be directly returned to the taxpayers and not used to fund additional government programs. He then answered questions regarding the consolidation of redundant government agenices in Texas, efforts to oversee TXDOT, and the unforeseen consequences of a provision regarding the licencing of vehicles used in traffic control situtations.

The club then approved funds be spent on targeted mailings to attract new members.

February 23, 2008
The meeting was then called to order and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. The guest speaker was Marcia Weiner, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, Place 1. Judge Weiner, explained the wide variety case from evictions, small claims (up to $10,000), traffic cases, trunancy and juvenile misdemeanors. Very few lawyers are involved in many cases, so the presiding judge must know the law. She placed emphasis on her use of counseling and meaningful community service sentences for juveniles. She also spent time explaining the various levels of graffiti crimes, only which the mostg minor is seen in her court. She will be running against a democrat opponent in the fall and needs all Republicans to vote for her at that time. The Northwest Replican Club wants to remind all consrvative voters to vote in the fall for the sake of candidates far down the list. Members then reviewed and discussed the precinct conventions, that take place after the primary election on March 4, 2008. Situations and instructions were given to members in precincts where a preceinct chairman is, or is not present. The 26th District Senatorial Convention was also explained and discussed. Chris Pugh reported his attendance at a local rally for Presidential Candidate, Mike Huckabee.

January 26, 2008
New officers were elected for the current year. President: Dominick Dina, Treasurer: Stan Fisher. The next meeting was announced for February 23, 2008. The meeting time was changed to 11:30 AM on the 4th Saturday of each month. The presidental race was discussed. Johnny Lovejoy, SREC member for SD 26, explained the upcoming primary election and the convention process from the precinct to national levels.

February 17, 2007
The meet and greet period was devoted to learning about new visitors and opinions regarding the problems in the last Texas Congressional District 23 election.. The meeting was then called to order and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. Jim McGrody was then introduced. Mr. McGrody first reviewed his history in Republican politics and how his past has influenced his decision to run for the Congressional District 23 seat in Washington DC. His main approaches to winning the seat are through grassroots and internet activities. He emphasized his Compact 23 and virtual voting record that can be found at mcgrodyforcongress.com. Users can view how he would have voted on the recent congressional issues driven by democrats. His rational and considerable analysis for each virtual vote is presented on his web site. Of the 8 votes that have occurred to date in the 110th congressional session, Jim would have voted differently on 7 issues as compared to the incumbent democrat, Ciro Rodriguez. His presentation was followed by questions regarding our need to be victorious in Iraq, the state of education in the United States and the relationship between constitutional law and national security. The meeting was then adjourned and next meeting was announced for March 17, 2007.

January 20, 2007
After the holiday break, the Northwest Republican Club had good attendance. The meet and greet period was lively as is the custom. The meeting was then called to order and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. Ken Mercer, State Board Of Education (SBOE) Member Elect, was then introduced. Mr. Mercer introduced himself and provided the group an overview of his political activity and service. He then discussed the makeup, committees and current focus of the SBOE. Of particular interest was the endowment for textbooks and the effort to keep the fund strictly dedicated to schoolbooks for Texas children. The future of the TEKS test was discussed. Hopefully, it will be replaced by traditional end-of-course exams that will eliminate "teaching-the-test". Following a prolonged question and answer session, new officers were elected for the current year. President: Dominick Dina, Vice-President for membership: Chris Pugh, Vice-President for Communication and Secretary: Robert Flaugher, Treasurer: Stan Fisher. The next meeting was announced for February, 17 and all were reminded to invite at least one new visitor to the next meeting.

November 18, 2006
The Northwest Republican Club had a good meeting with returning and new members and visitors. Of course, the midterm election was discussed. The meeting was then called to order and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. Representative Frank Corte Jr. was introduced. He first discussed his recent tour of duty in Iraq where he was stationed in Ramadi in the Anbar province. He noted the level of commitment that young Americans have to Iraq and the positive effect we are having on that country. He reiterated the utmost importance of completing the mission and that we are close to success. Abandoning Iraq at this point in time would result in returning to a worse situation in afew years. He reminded us of the importance of effective communication from the Republican leadership and grassroots efforts to effectively contact and communicate with voters. We need to properly disseminate and defend our message and refute the misinformation disseminated by the opposition. Tax reduction, job creation, property tax reform, tax increase limits, the viability of gambling revenue and prison reform issues were discussed.

The floor was then opened for questions and discussion. Of particular importance is the upcoming runoff election for Congessman Henry Bonilla. Damaris Barton of the Bonilla Campaign urged everyone to help GOTV for this important election. This effort will begin in earnest to overcome the wave of liberalism entering our area.

The next meeting was announced for January 20, 2007.

October 21, 2006
Members discussed upcoming election.

September 16, 2006

The Northwest Republican Club had a wonderful meeting with guest speaker, James Bernsen. James works as Press Secretary for the Kay Bailey Hutchinson re-election campaign. The meeting started out with a great "meet and greet" session. Everything from college football rivalries to success in being found through the search engines on the internet were discussed. The meeting was then called to order and stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. Dominick Dina announced the club financial balance. In addition he announed that a total of 17 volunteers appeared to give blood at the August Blood Drive and a total of 14 pints were accepted.

Mr. Bernsen then presented the success of Senator Hutchinson's campaign. (Visit her web site) He reminded us of both Senator Hutchinson's and Cornyn's backing the effort to secure our borders prior to establishing any type of guest-worker program. Just in Texas, illegal immigrants cost the state $3.5 billion per year. This amount is after the benefits of that such immigrants provide are considered. Much of the expense is a result of educational expenses we incur from approximately 500,000 children of people who have entered our country illegally. As our war with Islamic extremists continues, our border with Mexico is currently a potential gateway for the enemy to enter our country and wield devasting results. A member of the club reminded the group of the vulnerability of our schools to terrorist attacks and the need to take steps to stem the flow of potential enemy into the United States.

Mr. Bernsen also discussed the Democratic opponent in the Senatorial race and gave the NWC good reason to support Senator Hutchinson. This included policy differences and the need to support and vote for GOP candidates in local elections.

Following the presentation, the floor was opened to questions and comments. Members discussed concerns over RINOs in the Senate, politicians' tendency to curry favor from the voters before elections and their assumption that traditional voting blocks will never change. We also discussed the media's lack of coverage of all the positive news from Iraq, the desire among liberals to provide terrorists with lawyers and national security information.. We discussed our observation that Democrats are full of confidence, but seem oblivious to the possibility that many Americans trust them less than the GOP. The NWR Club meetings usually end promptly at 10 a.m., but on this occasion the lively discussion continued until 10:30.

August 19, 2006

Prior to the meeting we had a lively discussion regarding the upcoming gubernatorial election in the Fall. The club was reminded of the blood drive that followed the meeting. The meeting was then called to order and stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. Dominick Dina announced the club financial balance.

Speaker Lyle Larson, Republican County Commissioner, then spoke to the club regarding the effort to keep the Bexar County property tax rate as low as possible. Mr Larson presented data from the past several years with documents the decline of the tax rate for the county that has coincided with increases in property value. He also discussed GOP strategy in the upcoming elections. The implications of toll roads/lanes to ease traffic congestion in Bexar County was also discussed. When implimented, users of the toll lanes would be paying two taxes to support Texas transportation. Mr. Larson ended with the pros and cons of consolidating Bexar County and the City of San Antonio.

Member James Hutmacher then discussed his qualiifcations for his intended bid for the Office of Bexar County Sheriff in 2008. Other members reminded the club to contact our Senators regarding upcoming legislation and reported local liberal antics.

BLOOD DRIVE co-sponsored by Fire Mountain Restaurant and the Northwest Republican Club. August 19th, 10 am to 12 noon The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center sent one of their mobile stations to Fire Mountain Restaurant, 7200 Bandera Rd. The event was a great success.

July 18, 2006
Prior to the meeting, the group discussed the idea of CPS providing internet broadband to areas where it is currently unavailable. There was also a discussion of AT&T's recent cutback in services provided to cellular-on-patrol groups.

The meeting was then called to order and stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. Dominick Dina announced the club financial balance, the planned blood drive co-sponsored by the Northwest Republican Club and Fire Mountain Grille, and a planned email campaign to receive feedback concerning the time and place of the club's regular meetings.

Marialyn Barnard, Republican Candidate for the 225th District Court in Bexar County was then introduced. She gave a concise, yet informative presentation of the entire court system of Texas and informed the group that cases that start in District Court may eventually be heard in Federal Court and may involve international law.

Mrs. Barnard then informed the group about being recruited to run for the 225th Court, her many endorsements and supporters from both parties, and her upcoming campaign initiatives. She continued by detailing her background and breadth of experience that is superior to that of her opponent. She concluded by asking for the club members support in the November election, followed by questions from the club.

June 17, 2006
A lively conversation regarding toll roads, city council districts, and Ann Coulter's recent book took place during the meet and greet time preceding the meeting.

The meeting was then called to order, all stood for the Pledge of Allegiance and new and returning members were welcomed.

Steve Hilbig, candidate for the 4th Court of Appeals was introduced. Mr Hilbig, explained the role of the Court Of Appeals in Texas as appeal of any case in the jurisdiction of Texas courts. Of all the cases heard at the Appeals Court level, 97% are ruled upon and go not further. The remaining 3% are sent to either the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas Supreme Court. He discussed relevant example and possible outcomes of appeals.

Mr. Hilbig then explain the need for expertise in criminal law on the 4th Court of Appeals and reviewed his extensive background in criminal law and his service as Bexar County District Attorney in the 1990's. His goal is to maintain honesty on the Court and help reverse the assault on our criminal justice system. Mr. Hilbig answered questions concerning his early background, the exclusionary rule of evidence, and the death penalty. He also emphasized that his opponent has a background in personal-injury law, a specialty already represented on the 4th Court of Appeals.

Finally members were asked to report other relevent news. Stan Fisher, reported the major highlights of the RPT Convention held in San Antonio on June 2-3, including SD 26 SREC committee chairwoman and chairman elections, term limits for Texas representatives to the national RNC and other platform issues.

The meeting was then adjourned.

May 20, 2006
The meeting was called to order and all stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. A welcome was offered to members and visitors by Dominick Dina. Several new guests and returning members were present.

Judge Richard Price of the 408th District Court reviewed his background, education, credentials and the types of cases on the docket of the 408th District Court. He reviewed his extensive experience in civil litigation and his experience on the bench since he was appointed to his current office.

Diane Rivera, candidate for the 45th District Court presented her experience in 11 years of practice in juvenile, family, and criminal law. She also discussed her pro bono work performed for the Visitation Access Program for divorced fathers and the Community Justice Program.

The floor was then opened for comments and other topics of interest. Chris Pugh discussed his recent attendance at a convention of Americans For Prosperity and their continued efforts to keep a ceiling on taxes. For more information, visit AmericansForProsperity.org. The possibility of sponsoring a blood drive was also addressed.

April 15, 2006
The meeting was called to order all stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. A welcome was offered to members and visitors by Dominick Dina. Introductions were made to new attendees and guests.

Judge Rene Dias of the 224 th District Court was then introduced. Judge Diaz explained the importance of district court to the audience. To summarize, the most serious and life affecting decisions are made in district court, including criminal charges, property issues, personal injuries, divorce, and child custody. Besides demonstrating his expertise and experience, Judge Diaz explained why District Court is the most efficient in all of Texas. Besides providing a great lesson regarding our court system, Judge Diaz explained his philosophy and background, and urged the audience to support him in the upcoming Fall 2006 election.

The floor was then opened to questions and comments. A brief club financial report was given and the meeting, followed by a more general question session and adjournment.

March 18, 2006
We had spirited discussions this morning.  Thanks to those who attended and for those absent, know you were missed.

We focused on the upcoming Senatorial Convention, Saturday March 25th.  We discussed the Precinct Conventions held following the closing of the polls on Primary Election night.  We are concerned many are not aware of the Precinct Conventions and their importance to the overall process.  We all need to do a better job educating our neighbors.