Governor Romney Announces Alabama Finance Team

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

 

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the Romney for President Alabama Statewide Finance Committee. These Alabama leaders will help Governor Romney raise the resources necessary to be competitive in the state and across the nation.

 

"The Alabama Statewide Finance Committee will help raise the resources and support needed to run an effective campaign in the state," said Governor Romney. "I am proud to have the support of these respected leaders. Together, they will help our campaign as we communicate our vision of bringing real conservative change to Washington."

 

Background On The Romney For President Alabama Statewide Finance Committee:

 

The Honorable Bill Cabaniss (Birmingham) – Cabaniss is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Mr. Cabaniss has been a leader in the Birmingham business community, having served on the boards of directors of several publicly held companies including AmSouth Bank, Birmingham Steel Corporation, the Southern Company and Protective Life Corporation. He has also been successful in his business endeavors and has held membership in the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Business Council of Alabama. Mr. Cabaniss also served in both the Alabama House of Representatives and Alabama State Senate.

 

Marty Connors (Alabaster) – Connors was elected twice as chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Conservative Ronald Regan Award, an annual CPAC honor. Connors has 29 years of political experience in Alabama. Currently, he is the principal of MJ Connors consulting which focuses on marketing and public relations.

 

Bill Featheringill (Birmingham) – Featheringill is a private investor and venture capitalist, specializing in health management software, biotechnology, and telecommunications. He is also a fixture in Republican politics across the state of Alabama and a Republican National Committee Regent donor.

 

John Hannah (Decatur) – Hannah is the Managing Partner of John Hannah & Associates LLC. A two-time All American, he played for the New England Patriots from 1973-1985, and was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

 

Dr. Griff Harsh III (Birmingham) – An Alabama native, Dr. Harsh practiced neurology in Birmingham for 25 years. Following his time in private practice, Dr. Harsh served at the University of Alabama as Professor of Surgery, Director of the Neurosurgical Division and then became Chairman of the American Board of Neurosurgery. He was also in the United States Army from 1943 to 1951. During his service, Dr. Harsh was assigned to Keesler Field, Walter Reed Army Hospital, Tokyo Army Hospital and was Commanding Officer, 1st Provisional Neurosurgical Detachment. He received the Bronze Star Medal in 1951.

 

Stan McDonald (Madison) – McDonald is the President of Reli Inc., the largest title company in Alabama. He is also the President of McDonald & Associates law firm located in Huntsville, Alabama. He also serves on the Calhoun Community College Foundation and is the founder of Freedom Academy, a private high school for at risk high school boys. McDonald is an elder at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Madison, Alabama.

 

Hope Mehlman (Birmingham) – Ms. Mehlman is the Associate General Counsel for Regions Financial Services and has numerous community affiliations. She serves on the Board of Directors for Girls, Inc. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Birmingham Jewish Federation and the Board of Directors for Oasis Women's Counseling Center, and was past chairman of the Oasis Annual Spring Benefit. She is a member of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, the Jewish Republican Coalition, and Hadassah. She also served as State Chair of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network and has served on the Visiting Allocation Team of the United Way of Central Alabama.

 

Senator Harri Anne Smith (Slocomb) – Senator Smith is serving her third term as a State Senator. She began her public service career as a member of the Slocomb City Council, an office she held from 1989 until her election as Mayor of Slocomb in 1996. Senator Smith is also very active as a volunteer in her local community. She served as the 2005 Campaign Chair for the Wiregrass Area United Way. She also serves as a member of the Board of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Advisory Council, the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Revolving Loan Fund and the Alabama Advisory Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

 

Hatton C.V. Smith (Birmingham) – Smith is active in the coffee industry and is the President and CEO of Royal Cup Coffee. He is also a leader in various civic and community endeavors, including his dedicated service to Washington and Lee University.

 

Lee J. Styslinger, III (Birmingham) – Styslinger is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Altec, Inc, a leading equipment and service provider for the electric utility, telecommunications, and contractor markets. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the President's Export Council. Styslinger is a member of the Business Roundtable and serves on the National Association of Manufacturers Executive Committee.

 

Governor Mitt Romney Names Michigan Statewide Finance Committee

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

 

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the 30 members of his Michigan Statewide Finance Committee. These Michigan leaders will help Governor Romney expand his base of support in the Wolverine State and raise the resources necessary to be competitive on the campaign trail.

 

"I am proud and grateful to have the support of so many Michigan business and civic leaders. Their efforts will help ensure that our message of change in Washington reaches all corners of Michigan and the country," said Governor Romney.

 

Background On Governor Romney's Michigan Statewide Finance Committee Co-Chairs:

 

David Brandon (Ann Arbor) is the Chairman and CEO of Domino's Pizza. He serves on the board of directors of several not-for-profit organizations, including Detroit Renaissance and The Purple Rose Theatre.

 

David Fischer (Bloomfield Hills) is the Chairman and CEO of Suburban Collection, which owns and operates 37 car dealerships throughout Michigan and Florida.

 

J.C. Huizenga (Grand Rapids) is the Chairman and CEO of Heritage Academies, a public school management company founded in 1995. Mr. Huizenga lives in East Grand Rapids and serves as a board member for several Western Michigan community organizations.

 

Peter Karmanos (Orchard Lake) is the Chairman and CEO of Compuware Corporation, a recognized industry leader in enterprise software and IT services that help maximize the value of technology investments. He is a Co-Owner of three hockey teams: the Carolina Hurricanes; the Plymouth Whalers; and the Florida Everblades.

 

John Rakolta, Jr. (Bloomfield Hills) is the Chairman and CEO of Walbridge Aldinger, one of the nation's top 50 construction firms. Mr. Rakolta is also Chairman of New Detroit, Inc, a nonprofit race-relations group founded after the 1967 Detroit Riot. Mr. Rakolta also serves as Honorary Consul of Romania in Detroit, Michigan.

 

Ed Schwartz (Bloomfield Hills) is the President of Gregory J. Schwartz & Co., Inc., which represents clients in the acquisition and sale of companies and also in the divestiture of business segments.

 

Background On Governor Romney's Michigan Statewide Finance Committee Members:

 

- Robert Burnham, President, RWB Capital, Grand Rapids

- William Danhof, Principal, Miller Canfield, East Lansing

- Vincent DeAngelis, CFO, Walbridge Aldinger, Detroit

- Burton Farbman, President, The Farbman Group, Franklin

- Phillip Fisher, President, The Fisher Group, Bloomfield Hills

- Yousif Ghafari, Chairman, The Ghafari Companies, Bloomfield Hills

- Richard Haller, President, Walbridge Aldinger, Detroit

- Taggart Henderson, President, BNP Media, Birmingham

- A. Matthew Kiriluk, II, President, KIRKO, Bloomfield Hills

- Ilija Letica, CEO, Letica Corporation, Rochester

- Mara Letica Saad, Letica Corporation, Rochester

- Ed Levy, Jr., President, Edw. C. Levy Company, Birmingham

- Robert Liggett, CEO, Liggett Management, Grosse Point Shores

- Joe O'Connor, CEO, KALPA Systems, Bloomfield Hills

- Geoff Piceu, President, United Paint, Southfield

- Waltraud Prechter; President, Heinz C. Prechter Fund for Manic Depression, Grosse Ile

- Kevin Prokop, Director, Questor Management, Birmingham

- Joe Schwartz, Gregory J. Schwartz & Co., Inc., Bloomfield Hills

- Peter Schwartz, Principal, Gregory J. Schwartz & Co., Inc., Bloomfield Hills

- Wally Schwartz, Principal, Gregory J. Schwartz & Co., Inc., Bloomfield Hills

- Greg Schwartz, Jr., Gregory J. Schwartz & Co., Inc., Bloomfield Hills

- Greg Schwartz, Sr., Gregory J. Schwartz & Co., Inc., Bloomfield Hills

- Mickey Shapiro, CEO, Lautrec Corporation, Farmington Hills

- Robert Taubman, Chairman, Taubman Centers, Inc, Bloomfield Hills

 

 

In Case You Missed It: Governor Mitt Romney On FOX News' "Hannity & Colmes"

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

"Hannity & Colmes"

Fox News

May 7, 2007

 

Click Below To View Video:

 

 

FOX NEWS' ALAN COLMES: "Can you help us understand what specifically it was that made you change your view on that?"

 

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "First, what I found interesting is, had I been pro-life and then changed to pro-choice, no one would ask the question."

 

FOX NEWS' SEAN HANNITY: "That's a great point."

 

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "But it's – if you go in the other direction, as I have and as Ronald Reagan did and Henry Hyde and George Herbert Walker Bush, it's like the media can't get enough of how – why did you change?"

 

COLMES: "People think because it's an election year conversion."

 

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "But no one ever asks that if they go the other way. There's always, like well, you've come to the side of light. The truth is, being governor and before I was governor, this is something I thought about, we discussed as a family, I discussed with my staff. We talked about the concerns.

 

"And the point where it sort of went over the edge for me and, of course, it's not just – didn't just come up for the first time but went over the edge is we were having this debate on cloning. And I could see where the Roe v. Wade devaluation of human life had led. It had led to a point where people were beginning to say, 'Hey, now we're going to start cloning embryos.' It's like wait a second. This really is going too far."

 

The Romney Agenda. Strong. New. Leadership.

 

At Regent University, Governor Romney Speaks About The Importance Of Family:

 

Governor Romney: "If there ever was a time for great Americans, great and good Americans, Americans who are willing to cross into the deep waters of life, it is now. You cross into the deep waters of life by marrying and raising good children. There is no work more important to America's future than the work that is done within the four walls of the American home...." (Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, 5/5/07)

 

Governor Romney: Reach Beyond The Shallow Water

 

 

 

Governor Romney Will Apply Free-Market Principles To Health Care:

 

Governor Romney: "And this is a country that can get all of our people insured with not a government takeover, without Hillary-Care, without socialized medicine. Instead, get the market to do its job, let people have health care that they can afford, get the market to do its job, let people have the opportunity to choose policies in the private sector." (MSNBC, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Simi Valley, CA, 5/3/07)

 

Governor Romney: Free Market Health Care

 

 

Governor Romney Will Make Savings Tax Free For Middle-Income Americans:

 

Governor Romney: "I'd like middle-income Americans to be able to save their money and not have to pay any tax at all on interest, dividends or capital gains." (MSNBC, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Simi Valley, CA, 5/3/07)

 

 

 

Governor Romney Believes We Must Defeat The Jihadist Threat:

 

Governor Romney: "Of course we get Osama bin Laden and track him wherever he has to go and make sure he pays for the outrage he exacted on America. ... We'll move everything to get him. But I don't want to buy into the Democratic pitch, that this is all about one person, Osama bin Laden. Because after we get him, there's going to be another and another. ... This is a global effort we're going to have to lead to overcome this jihadist effort. It's more than Osama bin Laden. But he is going to pay, and he will die." (MSNBC, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Simi Valley, CA, 5/3/07)

 

Governor Romney On Osama bin Laden

 

 

Governor Romney Warns Of The Dangers Of Withdrawing From Iraq:

 

Governor Romney: "With regards to Iraq, there are a lot of people that say, let's just get out. I want to get our troops home as soon as I possibly can. But at the same time I recognize, we don't want to bring them out in such a precipitous way that we cause a circumstance that would require us to come back. Because if we leave in the wrong way, the Iranians could grab the Shi'a South, or al Qaeda could play a dominant role among the Sunnis. Or you could have the border with Turkey destabilized by the Kurds, and as a result you could have regional conflict develop. But with that occurring, you could have our neighbors get involved, our friends get involved around Iraq, and we could have to come back again." (MSNBC, Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Simi Valley, CA, 5/3/07)

 

Governor Romney on the War in Iraq