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By Robert Redding Jr.
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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Maryland's Republican Party will no longer endorse the state's Hispanic Republican Caucus, which is led by a chairman who has publicly assailed the governor for not hiring enough Hispanics, a top party official told The Washington Times yesterday.

Eric M. Sutton, executive director of Maryland's Republican Party said the caucus was never an official auxiliary and the party has opted to rely on a newly created organization instead.

The new group, tentatively named the Maryland Republican Hispanic Assembly, is "to become an official member of the national party."

Mr. Sutton and other Republican members — including Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who has said he backs party leadership— last month told the Maryland Hispanic Republican Caucus' executive board to oust Chairman Jorge L. Ribas or ties would be cut and a new organization created.

Instead, Mr. Ribas received a vote of confidence from the 20-member executive committee of the caucus Thursday — 16 in support, two abstentions — setting in motion plans of the party to replace the caucus.

Mr. Ribas condemned the party's move to create the assembly, saying, "It essentially means that they might as well get a coffin and bury themselves."

He said, "It sends a bad message across the United States with the upcoming presidential election. ... This will be the end of the Republican Party in Maryland. It will become a party of irrelevancy."

Mr. Sutton said Luis Borunda of Baltimore, part of the Governor's Commission on Minority Business Enterprise Reform, has been appointed chairman of the assembly, which has commitments from 80 percent of the current caucus members to switch membership.

"They are joining us because they believe that this is the best way in moving the interest of Hispanics in Maryland forward," Mr. Sutton said. "This will be the most aggressive and most thorough outreach organization in the history of Maryland.

"The problem has been one guy and not the caucus as a whole," Mr. Sutton said of Mr. Ribas.

Mr. Ehrlich said last week he was not pleased with Mr. Ribas because the chairman had violated the administration's rule by talking to the media.

The governor also said he supported Mr. Sutton and Maryland Republican Party Chairman John M. Kane's decision to get rid of Mr. Ribas. The governor refuted Mr. Ribas' claim that he has not hired Hispanics.

Republican officials also have said they requested a list of potential Hispanic appointments from Mr. Ribas' organization but never received them.

Mr. Ribas said Mr. Ehrlich initially received support from the caucus because of his message of inclusiveness, but has not lived up to that stance because the governor all nine Hispanics in the administrations are in unpaid jobs.

Mr. Ribas stressed that the caucus still wants to work within the party, even though there no longer is an official affiliation.

"It would be unfair of us to paint with a wide brush the actions of two people," he said. "We know that we have significant support within the party. "Mr. Ribas also said he does not believe Mr. Sutton's claims that the majority of the caucus would join the newly created assembly.

"They also said they controlled 50 percent of our executive committee and they were wrong," he said.
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Md. GOP Hispanic caucus defies state party chairman
Group's head criticized Ehrlich administration for lack of appointments
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By Michael Dresser
The Baltimore Sun Staff
Originally published September 13, 2003

A rift in the GOP ranks grew deeper yesterday as the Maryland Hispanic Republican Caucus announced that its board had defied state party Chairman John Kane's demand that it oust its leader and fall in line behind the Ehrlich administration. The Hispanic group announced that its 20-member executive committee had voted 16-1, with two abstentions, to keep Jorge Ribas as its chairman.

As a result, the Maryland Republican Party will carry through with its plans to sever its ties with the group today, Executive Director Eric Sutton said.

He said the party executive committee will recognize a new rival group, the Maryland Republican Hispanic Assembly, as an official GOP affiliate.

Sutton dismissed the importance of the caucus vote to stand by Ribas in spite of a party ultimatum telling the group to dump its chairman or be dumped by the GOP.

"He basically stacked the board," Sutton said. He said 80 percent of the original caucus, which was recognized as a branch of the GOP in May, has left it to join the new group.

Ribas, a Montgomery County veterinarian, said the caucus will continue to operate independently of the state party apparatus.

He questioned whether the new organization will win much support from Latinos.

"The first question Hispanics will ask is, 'What's wrong with the first group?'" he said.

The ugly public breach began after Ribas, a Republican state Senate candidate last year, spoke out about what he perceives as a dearth of administration appointments of Hispanics to high-level positions.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Kane, his hand-picked party chief, were annoyed that Ribas delivered that criticism in the form of a letter that was circulated to the news media.

Two weeks ago, Kane made an unannounced visit to a caucus executive committee meeting to demand Ribas' resignation or ouster.

The party chairman's blunt message, which apparently included an accusation that the group was behaving like Democrats, offended some committee members.

"I didn't like it. I didn't think it was proper," said Alma Preciado, first vice chairwoman of the caucus and a Silver Spring lending company owner.

Another Hispanic business leader, however, said Kane's actions were justified.

"He took the position of a leader," said Luis Borunda, a Baltimore sign company owner who left the caucus five or six weeks ago and is helping to set up the new assembly.

Ribas said he and his fellow caucus members are loyal Republicans but sometimes are obliged to speak out publicly on Hispanic issues - even if they depart from administration policies.

In a news release yesterday, the caucus warned of negative repercussions for the governor for breaking with Ribas.

"If Governor Ehrlich is not with the Hispanic community in 2004, the Hispanic community might not be with Governor Ehrlich in 2006," the release said.

Shareese DeLeaver, an Ehrlich spokeswoman, said the governor is "unwavering in his support" of Kane's decision to part ways with Ribas.

But DeLeaver suggested that the governor was not thrilled that the matter has played out in public.

"It's unfortunate this situation isn't being resolved in a more amicable way," she said.

Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun

Hispanic Republican caucus supports Ribas

by Eric Kelderman
Staff Writer

A group of Hispanic Republicans continues to defy the state party by refusing to oust its chairman.

The Maryland Hispanic Republican Caucus, which was begun this spring, released a statement to the media Friday reaffirming their support for "the proactive leadership of Dr. Jorge Ribas," the caucus' chairman.

The caucus' executive committee met Thursday and voted 16 to one, with two abstentions, to retain Ribas as chairman, according to a media statement released Friday afternoon.

Maryland GOP Chairman John M. Kane had asked the caucus in late August to choose a new leader, saying that Ribas had violated the party's trust by airing criticisms of the governor in the press.

The executive committee of the state Republican Party is scheduled to meet Saturday morning and may consider decertifying the group, which was designated an official auxiliary of the GOP in June.

Kane and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich have said that the caucus broke rules of party discipline, vetting their complaints in the media rather than working internally.

Caucus members say that it is Kane who broke the rules by trying to strong arm the group.

"The [caucus] is an autonomous organization. As the elected State Chair of the organization, the only persons who have authority to remove Dr. Ribas are the members of the Executive Committee," the release states. "The Maryland GOP has no authority to disband the MHRC and has no authority to ask for the removal of its Chairman."

And the caucus repeated its request for an audience with Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich to diffuse the tensions.

"This matter could be easily resolved if the parties would sit down together at the table," said Roger Campos in the caucus' prepared statement. Campos is CEO of the Minority Business Roundtable and was a member of Ehrlich's transition team.