Committee Treasurer Amber Morris gets Republican endorsement in coming Town Council Special Election

Two candidates vying for an endorsement from the Warren County Republican Committee in November’s Special Election to fill the Front Royal Town Council seat now occupied, on a still-legally-disputed appointment, by Jacob Meza, appeared Thursday, June 24, at a Candidates Forum hosted by the Committee. Republican Committee member Meza, who did not run for re-election to his own seat in 2020, is not running to maintain the final term-year of the seat formerly held by now-Mayor Chris Holloway.

Welcome Republican Committee – to your Town Candidates Forum at the Villa Ave. Community Center.

Holloway, along with several other council members who are also Republican Committee members – only one, Letasha Thompson, is currently not – were on hand at the Villa Avenue Community Center to see the head-to-head Q&A and opening and closing statements of Committee Treasurer Amber Morris and independent conservative Bruce Rappaport.

As event moderator and former Committee Chairman Steve Kurtz noted in opening remarks, the committee can only endorse, not nominate, due to the Front Royal Town Charter which mandates that Town Elections be non-partisan. That has essentially been legally interpreted to mean that a candidate cannot carry a political party designation by their name on an election ballot. That does not prevent them from carrying one on sample ballots handed out by political committees outside polling places to reflect a Party’s endorsement.

Candidates politely took turns greeting committee members

The forum lasted a half hour as Morris and Rappaport navigated their way through eight questions submitted by committee members prior to the event, and opened and closed the forum reciting their conservative credentials, and in Morris’s case her history with the committee. Both candidates, the only ones vying for the council seat at this time, received polite, sometimes enthusiastic applause for their answers and descriptions of their commitment to conservative principals.

Perhaps a hint at how the endorsement would go came in a slightly more-enthusiastic response to Committee Treasurer Morris’s answers. Following a subsequent committee meeting, Morris did garner the committee’s endorsement.

Among questions answered were priorities as a council member; support for past and perhaps future tax reductions; how much of a role should council play in stimulating business growth; and even whether they supported President Trump in the past two elections – both yes; did they support the 2^nd Amendment – both yes; were they pro-life – both yes; and did they support the current Biden Administration’s “open border” policy – both no.

See all the answers and opening and closing statements in this exclusive Royal Examiner video: