Politics & Government

Lower Merion, Narberth Republicans Hold 47th Annual Lincoln Day Dinner

The Republican Committee of Lower Merion and Narberth's 47th annual Lincoln Day Dinner was packed with local and state politicians and supporters.

The Republican Committee of Lower Merion and Narberth (RCLMN) held its 47th annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Thursday night.

The event sold out with 260 RSVPs and raised more than $80,000 for the group, said RCLMN Chairman Lance Rogers. It was the second year the event was held at the Villanova Conference Center after .

“We were focused on state and local elections last year,” Rogers said. “This year, there was a more national scope. There was a hunger on the committee for something more global." 

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The national aspect of the event was reflected in the keynote speaker: James Woolsey, Jr., the chairman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former director of the CIA. 

Woolsey spoke on energy as a “major matter of national security,” and emphasized the importance on the responsible development of hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) to extract natural gas.

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One such use of natural gas could be the production of methanol as an alternative fuel to gasoline, he said, with the decision left to consumers. He compared that possibility to the 1890s, when refrigerators largely replaced salt to preserve food.

“Salt was destroyed as a strategic commodity,” Woolsey said. “We need to do the same with oil.”

Rogers thanked the Republican Lower Merion commissioners—Jenny Brown, Scott Zelov, Lew Gould and Phil Rosenzweig— for the , and thanked Brown specifically for .

The special service award recipient this year was Jim Clark, a committeeperson for Ward 6 and a former representative for the 149th legislative district, and the honored guest of the evening was Rob Gleason, chairman of the state Republican Committee.

Rogers also expressed the committee’s appreciation for committeepeople, the “footsoldiers” who are responsible for manning the polls and making phone calls, among other things. Perry Hamilton, Ward 5-1, was honored with a committeeperson award.

Each of Lower Merion’s wards this year also sponsored a young Republican to attend the dinner.


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