PUNTA GORDA — A plea for Jerry O’Holloran to step down as the Charlotte County Republican Club president came this week after he allegedly made inappropriate comments at a club meeting.
In a formal complaint, Melissa Lockhart wrote to Bill Abbatematteo, chair of the Charlotte County Republican Executive Committee, demanding O’Holloran resign after he allegedly made comments during two club meetings.
The complaint stems from a debate between David Kalin and Leah Valenti. Kalin is challenging incumbent Valenti in the upcoming election for Supervisor of Elections.
Lockhart, who is a Punta Gorda City Council member and Republican, wrote she was inundated with more than a dozen phone calls “from concerned individuals” who were at the recent meeting.
“I was present at the recent debate between Mr. Kalin and Mrs. Valenti and was deeply troubled by the conduct displayed during the meeting, as well as the content of the subsequent newsletter distributed,” Lockhart wrote. “While I was initially heartened to learn that an investigation was initiated into these matters, I am dismayed to discover that Mr. O’Halloran continues to hold the title of president.”
Lockhart listed the alleged inflammatory statements O’Halloran said including:
• Threatening remarks like “Don’t come for me I carry a gun.”
• “Don’t air your dirty laundry, what happens in the CCRC stays in the CCRC.”
• Inappropriate comments regarding State Rep. Spencer Roach’s height.
• Failure to properly acknowledge Supervisor of Elections Leah Valenti until she approached him, followed by a disrespectful comment regarding her hair color.
“Mr. O’Halloran had an opportunity to rectify his conduct and demonstrate leadership, but he has unequivocally failed to do so,” Lockhart wrote. “Such behavior is not reflective of the values we uphold within our party or our community.”
Abbatematteo redirected Lockhart to Bill Helmich, executive director of the Republican Party of Florida, which has jurisdiction over the chartered clubs.
On Thursday, O’Halloran said he’s not going anywhere. He said he was joking and his humor was taken out of context.
“I’ve been the club president twice,” he said. “They (club members) begged me to be the president. No one else wants this responsibility. Life is too short to not joke with people. Spencer Roach is the same height as Vanessa Oliver (a candidate running for the State Legislature seat Roach is vacating). I asked if there was a height requirement for that office. It was a joke.”
O’Halloran said he also joked about having a gun permit.
“I said Spencer Roach dodged a drive-by shooting, President Trump avoided an assassination attempt, so if anything happens, I have a carry permit. I will protect myself,” O’Halloran said.
O’Halloran told the club members that their business should stay in house and not be vetted in the local newspaper or online.
“Growing up, I was taught if you have a problem with a family member, you work it out internally,” he said. “I don’t think the club’s laundry needs to be in public. We are all one party.”
Last week, the Republican Executive Committee wrapped up an investigation of comments O’Halloran wrote in his monthly newsletter that he sent to about 250 members.
The investigation resulted in the club and O’Halloran being put on probation until December. O’Halloran wrote an apology letter to Valenti.
O’Halloran said he didn’t write the questions at the debate of the Supervisor of Elections candidates. He said if he did he would have asked tougher questions about SOE operations.
”I had people calling me because there are so many rumors out there,” he said. “I would have asked some more hardball questions. I wrote a letter of apology to Leah (Valenti) and I’ve moved on.”
Some took offense that O’Halloran didn’t recognize Valenti as an elected official at the Wednesday meeting.
“I did once she told me she was there,” he said. “Her hair was pulled back and it’s darker now. All of her election ads show her as a blonde. I didn’t recognize her.”
Valenti said Thursday she didn’t change her hair color. She said if anyone has any questions about elections or how the elections office is operated, they can just ask.
Still, Lockhart wrote, something needs to change.
“The continued leadership of Mr. O’Halloran undermines the integrity and reputation of the CCRC. It is imperative that swift action is taken to restore confidence and ensure that our county Republican club operates with dignity and respect,” she wrote.
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