A vice chairman for the Lee County Republican Party issued a statement to The Rant today in reference to a Facebook post Thursday personally attacking a writer for The Sanford Herald in the wake of The Herald’s editor stepping down this week.
Read the post in full here and learn more about the history leading up to it.
According to Lee GOP vice chairman for public information Alicé Leuchte, the post was made by “a contributor, in error and was removed.” It remained active on the Lee GOP Facebook site for roughly four hours before it was taken down on Thursday. Added to it were two comments penned by one of the Lee GOP’s elected officials, school board member Sherry Lynn Womack, and Blaine Sutton, the local party’s fundraising director.
Below is Leuchte’s statement on the post in full, unedited (per the party’s requirement to post on our site):
My name is Alicé Leuchte, and I am the Vice Chairman for Public Information for the Lee County Republican Party (Lee GOP). I appreciate your commitment to publishing my comments in full.
The Lee GOP believes firmly in the First Amendment, and has committed to help members learn more about social media and online publishing. To facilitate this mission, I have begun inviting contributors (beyond just party officers) to post content on our website and social media. The Facebook post referenced in your recent blog entry was published to our page by a contributor in error and was removed.
While this post may not have been appropriate for the Lee GOP Facebook page, we encourage citizens to use their inherent right to free speech and glad to see discussion has migrated to more appropriate venues. Thank you for highlighting our contributor’s passionate post — and for reaching out for comment from the Lee GOP. Lee County is an under-served media market, and the values of our residents are poorly represented. Feel free to reach again in the future, if you wish to provide the public a fuller perspective.
CONTACT Alicé Leuchte Vice Chairman, Public Information Lee County Republican Party (Lee GOP) Direct: (910) 742-0467 | leegop.com
The freedom to speak freely carries with it an implicit requirement to be responsibile for your words. Some of the conservatives who post frequently on Facebook need a refresher course on separation of church and state. My own experience lately on Facebook is that my comments are frequently answered with profanity and name calling, not a good foundation for an exchange of ideas.