PORT CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte County Republican Club newsletter summarizing allegations against a Supervisor of Elections office led to an investigation of the club’s president.
The newsletter included accusations regarding elections procedures, but the club’s president later apologized for his unsupported claims.
The investigation found Charlotte County Republican Executive Club President Jerry O’Halloran issued the July 5 newsletter that violated party rules.
After it circulated, the Republican Party of Florida received complaints about O’Halloran’s claims.
As the final authority on all Republican Party matters, the state party leadership told O’Halloran the club charter could be revoked for good cause.
O’Halloran referenced his observations of the Republican Club’s June 26 candidate debate at the Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda.
Charlotte County Supervisor of Election Leah Valenti is running against challenger David Kalin Jr.
Both Republicans spoke during the debate.
O’Halloran wrote there were “many rumored cover-ups and ignored filed law violations complaints” he heard regarding the office.
“It seems we (do) not have secure elections in Charlotte County, Florida, and management may have been a significant factor,” O’Halloran wrote.
The RPOF asked Charlotte County GOP Chair Bill Abbatematteo; state party Committeewoman Deb McMullen and state party Committeeman Mark Cousino to resolve the issue.
According to the findings, O’Halloran’s statement “impugned the integrity of the current SOE and the operation of that office absent any supporting facts.”
“O’Halloran’s assertions mostly echoed what Mr. Kalin has been claiming during his campaign, thus resulting in O’Halloran’s perceived alignment and support of one candidate over another in an official Club Newsletter,” according to the report.
“The RPOF’s concern wasn’t about what he (O’Halloran) said, but that he actually said something and inserted himself and the Club into an election, which he and the Club are prohibited from doing.”
O’Halloran’s actions could “easily be seen as a violation” of the RPOF that prohibits “any” charted club from “participating in intra-party differences, in its official capacity as a chartered organization.
The Charlotte County Republican Executive Committee many not support the nomination of one Republican candidate over another, unless the Republican Party has voted to endorse that candidate — which didn’t happen, the investigation shows.
The Republican Party of Florida asked Charlotte County GOP chair Bill Abbatematteo along with two RPOF committee members, Deb McMullen and Mark Cousino, to resolve the issue at the local level.
They were asked to investigate and provide an equitable resolution to “rectify any damage” caused by the O’Halloran’s newsletter.
The trio interviewed several people. They spoke to O’Halloran.
“He told us that in light of new facts that he was given on July 5, which included the March 26, 2024 final report from the Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS) which investigated a complaint they had received in January 2024, he realized he jumped the gun,” Abbatematteo wrote in the findings.
OECS found there was no “evidence of a crime and that the current Supervisor of Elections, Leah Valenti, was not the target of that investigation by the OECS.”
The trio found O’Halloran was “solely responsible” for writing the article.
“While his intentions may not have been malicious, they were misguided and crossed the line that prohibits such political activity by chartered clubs,” Abbatematteo wrote.
“O’Halloran admitted he made “conclusions based on rumor and hearsay, adding that he had no first-hand knowledge or evidence to support any of the claims made in the Newsletter,” Abbatematteo wrote. “We also had a responsibility to try to un-ring the bell, or muffle the noise and damage caused by the publication of the newsletter ...There was much outrage, consternation and bewilderment over what he (O’Holloran) did, and rightfully so.”
The trio reviewed a complaint the club participated with or “colluded” with a non-Republican Party group by recording and publishing the debate on a non-Republican Party website. They found “no evidence” of deliberate participation of how the recording would be used.
They investigated that “candidate supporters” were turned away from the debate. However, those without reservations weren’t allowed into the debate.
Charlotte County has four chartered clubs with no other complaints against the others.
The trio decided not to revoke the Charlotte County Republican Club’s charter, but put the club on probation through December.
“I went too far,” O’Halloran wrote to the REC. “For the record, I have no hard evidence of any wrongdoing at the SOE and can assume we have secure elections in Charlotte County.”
“Since taking office Leah Valenti stated she has made some additional changes to continue to ensure a safe, secure and valid election season. For that we should all be grateful, and my apologies for implying otherwise,” O’Halloran wrote.
Valenti told The Daily Sun on Friday that she accepted the apology.
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