Party Chairmen and Secretaries, What’s Next?

In the whirlwind of the first three days of the American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS), city and county party chairmen and secretaries were elected, completed their duties, and are now stepping away from their responsibilities in order to take on new jobs.

City party chairmen and their respective secretaries of each party were elected on the very first night and the county versions were elected the following morning in order to regulate their county parties. These young men ran city caucuses and officially elected delegate winners. Their final duties were to run ballot voting for primary and general elections and walk the official papers down to the Acting Secretary of State for further processing. As of Tuesday, June 10th, the chairman and secretaries have moved on to full-time jobs and left behind their original duties.

Matthew Moreland – or “Marvelous Matt,” as he is affectionately known by his city – a city party secretary for Dieringer City, jumped at the chance to take on the first leadership role possible at ALBBS.

“It was the first leadership role that popped up so I took advantage of it fast,” Moreland said.

Moreland is now in the State Senate and is attempting to run for Minority Whip.

“Get your name out there as early as possible and have a slogan, it’s what sticks in people’s minds,” Moreland recommended for people looking to run for office at ALBBS.

Bryan Chaffee, a county party chairman for Konold County, talked about taking skills learned from his chairman position and applying them to his new job. 

“I was elected to the county engineer position, I’m definitely going to take the leadership skills I developed and exemplify those qualities I gained through running elections,” Chaffee said. “I would like it if the chairman job assisted with city meetings so it’s not such a temporary position.”

Chafee shared advice for any delegates to get out of their comfort zones.

“Just get out there. Don’t be afraid to make that mistake because if you don’t then you might regret it at the end of the week,” he said.

Now that the chairmen and secretaries have been sidelined, Matthew Moreland has taken up a role as a State Senator and Brian Chafee has acquired a job as county engineer as well as a position on the school board. Delegates should look to the Chairman and Secretary positions as fantastic roles for getting leadership experience extremely early because of their proximity to the beginning of the program.