COLUMBUS, Ind. — Shortly after confirming he will seek the Bartholomew County Republican Party chairmanship, DeWayne Hines revealed his proposed slate of officers.
They are Lisa Deaton for vice-chairman, Jorge Morales as secretary, and Brian Heaton as treasurer.
The proposed officers were mainly based in each person’s base of experience in areas like campaign organizers and veteran campaigners, Hines said.
“Brian Heaton is new to the Republican Central Committee, but he knows what it takes to run a business,” Hines said. “That’s what the Republican Party is all about.”
On Wednesday, Columbus Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer became the first person to announce she is seeking the party chairmanship. While Hines confirmed on the same day that he also intends to seek the same position, he withheld his official announcement to ensure his slate of officers were prepared for the official announcement, he said.
The new Bartholomew County GOP leader will be chosen at 10 a.m. March 6 at YES Cinema.
Some national news reports describe “infighting” among Republicans regarding former President Donald Trump, but Hines dismisses those reports and insists says the Republican Party is alive and well. In fact, Hines denies there is any “infighting,” preferring instead to call Republicans “a strong party with a diverse coalition.”
“We don’t march in lockstep,” Hines said. “But as long as we agree on basic Republican values and are moving toward a goal that is wanted and needed in a community, we can get to that goal with diverse thoughts and opinions.”
Active in local politics for over 30 years, Hines served as party vice-chairman for eight years under retiring county GOP chairwoman Barb Hackman, as well as four years as party secretary under Hackman’s predecessor, the late Ted Ogle. Hines is also treasurer of the Indiana 6th District Republican Committee.
A Rockcreek Township resident, Hines has worked on the campaigns of several former state and federal office holders such as former U.S. Vice-President and former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Sixth District congressman Luke Messer, who was succeeded by Greg Pence in 2018.
In county government, he has also served as a member of the Community Corrections Board of Directors and the Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals.
But much of his past political involvement has been, as Hines describes it, as a “worker bee and a coordinator” who did “a lot of walking, folding, stuffing and phone-calling.”
A former tool and die designer at Product Engineering Company (PECO), Hines is also known for his leadership roles with the Bartholomew County Farm Bureau organization. Today, he serves as vice-chairman of that organization.
Hines now works as a residential property assessment coordinator for Bartholomew County Assessor Ginny Whipple. His wife is county Recorder Tami Hines, who served two terms as county clerk from 2007-2014.
Hines says he hears many Republicans wondering what the local GOP party will look like as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the Democrats have control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
But those concerns only reflect what members of his party are hearing on national news outlets, Hines said. Going forward, the Republican Party is just as poised on every level to go forward as they’ve ever been, he said.
However, Hines said the pandemic does make its necessary for party members to come together and discuss what will be best in the near future, Hines said.
“I think we can best look to our foundation — not the leaders, but the core principles that identify us as Republican,” he said. “If we all agree that we are Republican in philosophy, we can discuss how to implement best policies for our county, state and country.”
