The Lincoln County Republican Committee (LCRC) held a monthly social and business meeting earlier this month at the Boothbay Fire Station, hosted by the Boothbay Harbor Republican town committee.

At the meeting, the committee was brought up to date on legislative and committee business, including an upcoming fund raiser at which Governor Paul LePage will attend.

Stuart Smith, LCRC chairman, kicked off the meeting by outlining some of the things that he would like to see considered in support of the 2014 election.

“We lost a number of races by a small margin last year, and we've learned some lessons in the process that we need to address. Another priority is to build a better bench for the future.”

Smith also reported that the State Committee will be voting for a new chairman at its next meeting as the result of the resignation of Rich Cebra. Former state legislator Jon McKane of Newcastle is among those running for the position.

In other committee news, Earl Inman reported on progress made to date by the LCRC Bylaws committee.

“Les Fossel, Peter Lawrence and I met earlier this week to review our current bylaws and to respond to a State GOP Committee request to have our bylaws revised to incorporate proportionate representation from our town committees. We are also looking at our bylaws for areas that need clarification or perhaps should be covered to prevent future questions,” said Inman.

When their work is completed, the proposed bylaws revisions will be presented to the LCRC for its approval, he said. The Bylaws Committee is open other interested LCRC members, he added.

Vice chairman Smith Climo voiced concern about current efforts in Congress to pass immigration reform. He urgently requested members to call Republican leadership to tell them it would be a mistake to agree to immigration reform at this time.

“We need to tie up the phones lines with our calls,” he said.

As part of the committee's fundraising activities, Elizabeth Printy, LCRC finance chairman, presented details of the committee's pig roast planned for Saturday, August 24, starting at 5 p.m. at the home of James and Christiana Poole at 544 River Road in Newcastle.

The event is open to all interested Republicans and their families. Printy reported that Governor Paul LePage is scheduled to speak at the event. In addition to the roast pork, there will also be hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and cold drinks, she said. In keeping with the family nature of the event, Printy said that there will be activities for children. Tickets are $15 per person; children under 12 are free.

Tickets for the pig roast can be purchased by contacting Smith at stuart@stuartsmith.us or 207-370-7058.

The next meeting of the Committee will be Wednesday, August 14, at the Edgecomb town hall. Social time starts at 6:30 p.m.; the formal meeting at 7 p.m.

Further information about the LCRC can be found on its website, www.lincolncountyrepublicans.org.