Ukrainians host Republican Party reception in Pennsylvania (07/15/01)

Ukrainians host Republican Party reception in Pennsylvania

by Michael Komanowsky

BLUE BELL, Pa. - Republican Party leaders decided in 1997 to create the New Majority Council (NMC) at national, state and local levels in order to more effectively communicate their message to non-whites, women, ethnics and young voters, and thereby make the party more inclusive.

The result of this effort can be most visibly seen in community events that bring out the spirit of cooperation among members of these diverse groups. In Pennsylvania's Montgomery County, Ukrainians not only participate in these events but also hold positions of leadership in the Pennsylvania Montgomery County Republican Committee New Majority Council.

One such event occurred on May 3, when the local NMC held a reception at the Cedarbrook Country Cub in Blue Bell, Pa., to celebrate the outcome of last year's elections and to continue its efforts to unite and strengthen the Republican Party. Vera Andryczyk, who serves on the executive board of the Montgomery County NMC and was the chairperson of the event, arranged to have the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble perform under the sponsorship of the Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA).

The Voloshky, whose home base is Montgomery County, staged an impressive show and assured that the reception would be a memorable one for all participants.

Among the guests at the reception were a representative of the national New Majority Council, Renee Amoore; a representative of the Pennsylvania State NMC, Marcus Mitchell; two members of the Board of Commissioners of Montgomery County, Michael D. Marino and James M. Mathews; heads of several departments of the county government; and three party-endorsed candidates for judgeship positions.

The main speaker was Commissioner Mathews, who spoke of the great contributions of the present and the previous Republican governments to the development of Montgomery County over many years. Ms. Amoore received an award for her outstanding work as vice-chairman of the national NMC and as assistant secretary of the Republican National Convention.

In recent elections the Ukrainian American Alliance (UAA), an informal group of concerned, politically active voters of Ukrainian descent arranged fund-raisers for such congressional candidates as Charles Dougherty, Jon Fox and Stewart Greenleaf and has appealed to Ukrainian Americans to vote for these candidates as well as candidates from other neighboring counties, including James Greenwood and Curt Weldon, who promised to champion the urgent concerns of the Ukrainian American community.

The UAA has appealed to fellow Ukrainian Americans to join its ranks and to heed its appeals during future elections. UAA leaders also recommend that voters in other counties throughout the country follow their example of casting their votes as an organized group for those candidates who are most responsive to concerns of the Ukrainian American community.

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