The Fayette Citizen-News Page
Wednesday, March 3, 1999
Two seek Fayette GOP chairmanship

By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

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Fayette County Republicans will be offered two different styles of leadership at their annual convention March 20.

Lane Watts says he will be "a voice, not an echo" if elected chairman of the county party, and Eric Dial promises "an inclusive party."

The two, along with three district chairmanship candidates, will address the party's monthly breakfast meeting this Saturday at 9 a.m. at Bacchi Restaurant in Fayetteville.

Watts, a real estate agent with Watts Realty, has been active in party politics for a dozen years. He founded and served as first chairman of the Fayette County Teenage Republicans in the mid-1980s, and worked his way through the ranks to become state chairman of the Teenage Republicans.

He also has served on the State Committee and Executive Committee of the Georgia Republican Party, was a member of the College Republicans and currently is a state officer and national board member of the Young Republicans. Watts also represented Georgia as an alternate delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention.

Candidates he has worked for include U. S. representatives Mac Collins and Bob Barr, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, President George Bush and Sen. Bob Dole.

"We must strengthen and broaden the base of the Republican Party in Fayette County," said Watts. "We need leaders who want to build a strong, effective and inclusive party organization.

"We must have a leadership team that has the experience and vision to reinvigorate the party, unify and include all Fayette County Republicans, and bring greatness back to our local party," he added.

Dial, who works with conservative, nonprofit public interest law firm Southeastern Legal Foundation, has been on the county Executive Committee for two years and a party member for four years.

He worked for the gubernatorial campaign of Paul Heard and has worked in the Washington, D.C. and local district offices of Rep. Mac Collins, as legislative aide and constituent services representative.

Helping operate classes to train future leaders of Georgia, Dial also works with the Coverdell Leadership Institute.

"The main thing we need to accomplish with our party is to join the factions that we have," he said. "We need to all promote the common agenda and not any personal agendas."

He promised to keep the agenda focused on common goals and "lead us into the 21st century with the intent of keeping Republicans elected and making sure Fayette County remains conservative."

Republicans will elect their chairman during their annual convention, March 20 at Fayette Middle School, Grady Avenue inFayetteville. Precinct mass meetings begin at 9 a.m. with the conventionmeeting at 10.


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