UCKER Special to the Bulletin
The Bandera County Republican Women have announced their new president and vice president after the surprise resignations of President Darcy Hasty and Vice President Gwenda Tschirhart just two weeks before the May primary runoff for sheriff.
Hasty and Tschirhart started their positions in January.
No explanation was given for their resignations, but Hasty posted a statement on her Facebook account which was later removed.
“I have just officially resigned as the president of the Bandera County Republican Women,” wrote Hasty on her personal Facebook account. “It was my choice and my choice alone. I have considered this a couple of times over the last couple of months but continued to try and keep one Republican group functional in this county but found it an impossible task at this time.
“To all Republican candidates, I truly tried my best to be impartial and fair during the primary and up to this point in the run-off. Now that I am not the president of RW, I can support the candidate of my choice publicly and I will.”
Tschirhart did not provide a quote to the Bulletin.
The new BCRW president will be Brandi Conover, who will fill out Hasty’s full term. Conover currently serves as the Bandera County Republican Party Precinct 203 Chair.
Dede Skoglund will fulfill the role of BCRW vice-president until January 2025, when a new vice president will be elected.
A longtime Republican, Skoglund serves as the Republican Chair of Precinct 408 and has served as the Vice President of the Bandera County Republican Party. She is also the immediate past president of the Bandera County Republican Women.
Other elected officers who continue to serve the group are Tiffany Shirey, secretary; Sharon Striegl, treasurer; Melanie Burns, vice president for membership; Laura Briscoe, legislative chair; and Brenda Blake, communications chair.
In regular business, Sheriff Dan Butts gave a brief but informative presentation on personal safety for women. Butts drew from the wisdom of several law enforcement colleagues to create scenarios for discussion among the BCRW members. He emphasized being situationally aware while using the resources available in the area.
The practical scenarios presented by Butts encouraged the members present to discuss possible solutions and what strategies to use if attacked. A good community resource, Butts talked about when to use a firearm and how to do so successfully.
Butts is a former firearms instructor for the Texas Department of Public Safety Recruit School and the department’s armorer. Butts retired after thirty-one years of service to the Texas DPS and then became Bandera County Sheriff.
The group discussed the upcoming fourth annual Spaghetti Dinner on September 27 from, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The proceeds are used to support scholarships for senior Bandera County students.
The group will again ask for sponsorships for the meal components from members and interested Republicans. The preparation for the lunch plates will be on Thursday, September 26 from 2-5 p.m. at the Silver Sage.
The Bandera County Republican Women Scholarship winners for 2024 were Kytlin Peterson from Medina High School and Elizabeth Short from Bandera High School. Peterson attended the June meeting. She read her application essay and answered questions from the group about her future plans.
The club approved the Secretary’s Report, the Treasurer’s Report, and the Membership Report. Treasurer Sharon Striegl and Officer Brenda Blake presented the preliminary budget for 2024-2025.
Vice President Skoglund mentioned that the Back to School Bash will be on July 27 at the Lakehills Civic Center.
The BCRW will be participating in the foster child Angel Tree again this year. Members are to bring their gifts to the December 5, Christmas meeting of the club.
The BCRW will be participating in the Veterans Lunch held immediately after the Veterans Day parade on November 9. The club members will purchase two cases of water each and will assist with the luncheon after the parade.
On December 14th, the BCRW will participate in the Triple H Equitherapy Breakfast with Santa, and later that day will participate in the Bandera Lighted Christmas Parade at 6 PM.
