The Lakewood Republican Club is composed of three separate branches – a social club branch, a candidates political action committee branch, and an issues political action committee branch. All three branches are dedicated to advocating honest, transparent, and accountable leadership throughout the City of Lakewood. President James Madison, the Father of the United States Constitution, once wrote t
hat, "A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." Letter from James Madison to W.T. Barry (August 4, 1822), in The Writings of James Madison (Gaillard Hunt ed.). In keeping with President Madison's views, the Lakewood Republican Club is dedicated exclusively to advocating and demanding honest, transparent, and accountable leadership throughout the City of Lakewood. The LRC takes no position with respect to any issue that is not related to honest, transparent, and accountable governance. The LRC defers county, state, and national issues to the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County, Ohio Republican Party, and Republican National Committee, respectively. The Lakewood Republican Club endorses candidates who promote and practice honest, transparent, and accountable leadership throughout the City of Lakewood regardless of party affiliation. The Citizens of Lakewood value nonpartisan elections for all elected public officials - i.e., the judge, mayor, city councilpersons, and school board members. While the Ohio General Assembly has long mandated nonpartisan elections for school board members (R.C. 3505.04); in November of 2002, the Citizens of Lakewood resoundingly voted to mandate that nonpartisan elections were also conducted for municipal candidates in primary and general municipal elections (Article XIX, Section 3 of the Second Amended Charter of the City of Lakewood). To that end, the LRC may endorse Democratic or Independent candidates, but will always endorse Republican candidates, whenever possible, if Republican candidates promote and practice honest, transparent, and accountable leadership throughout the City of Lakewood. The Lakewood Republican Club encourages and supports Republicans seeking elected and appointed public office provided they are dedicated to promoting and practicing honest, transparent, and accountable leadership throughout the City of Lakewood. The Lakewood Republican Club has zero tolerance for discrimination. The LRC does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, race, religion, s*x, s*xual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other bases under the law. Discrimination of any kind has no place in the LRC.
