An introduction to a feature series about the state of play in the Massachusetts Republican Party
In March of 2023,
a small group of disgruntled Gloucester Republican City Committee members dissatisfied with committee leadership attempted a coup at a regularly scheduled monthly meeting. This handful of members, recruited by Gloucester resident and inactive committee member Dr. Cynthia Bjorlie, held separate meetings before the March date and plotted to remove the current Chairwoman, Ashley Sullivan. Despite several attempts by Sullivan and State Committeewoman Amanda Orlando to work with the group to address their concerns, they continued to cause problems by interrupting meetings and harassing other committee members. Their activities culminated in an unsanctioned meeting in July where the group’s leader, Clayton Sova, held an unofficial vote to remove Ms. Sullivan as Chair. Sova then proceeded to send emails using the official GRCC letterhead and calling for “special meetings” apart from the official GRCC, confusing many members.
Sullivan reached out to MassGOP for help when she saw Sova had used the letterhead, which resulted in an official cease and desist statement to Sova from Chairwoman Amy Carnevale, who also verified the Executive Leadership for the GRCC. None of these actions deterred Sova and his group from proceeding with their plan to create a parallel committee, essentially splitting the area Republicans in two and creating a chaotic mess, hindering the efforts of the GRCC. Among the group’s most egregious actions was to file official paperwork with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) using “on file” signatures of two members of the GRCC Executive Leadership without permission. Sullivan and Orlando alerted the OCPF legal team about the fraudulent signatures, and the filings were removed.
Despite several attempts to rectify the rift between the GRCC leadership and this insidious splinter group, the core members of Sova’s group were eventually voted out of the GRCC membership. But Sova continues to profess his actions are correct, legal, and justified. The splinter group continues to hold unsanctioned meetings while the GRCC attempts to move on from chaos and promote the Republican Party in Gloucester.
There are many more details to this incredible story of political party infighting. In future articles, we will dive deeper into the people involved, relaying a timeline of their actions and analyzing how this happened and why Ms. Sullivan wants the story told. In a state where the Democratic Party holds a trifecta, Republicans struggle to form a united front supporting their stated conservative goals. How can a party grow its numbers and attract new members when plagued with infighting, corruption, and malfeasance?
by Citizens for Truth Contributor
To continue reading this series: Massachusetts Morass Part 1: Disgruntled Dissent After the 2022 Election
1By Paul Keleher from Mass, US – fishermans memorial, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7320920
Massachusetts First 
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