Changing Tactics
Our previous article,
Massachusetts Morass Part 3: The April Meeting, detailed the events of the second failed attempt by the Bjorlie opposition group to oust GRCC Chairwoman Ashley Sullivan at the monthly meeting. We also documented Sullivan’s repeated attempts to engage the disgruntled members by offering them leadership roles among the sub-committees but being rebuffed and ghosted. The saga continued with the announcement of a “Special Meeting” issued in a letter signed by Bjorlie, Sova, Hubbard, Coles, et al.
A Day Late (or Two)
In an April 30, 2023 email, Chairwoman Sullivan responded to the opposition group’s letter announcing a “Special Meeting” that included a vote by secret ballot. She stated that the meeting was illegally called and included an email response by the Executive Director of the MassGOP, John Milligan, regarding the bylaw violation.1
The “Special Meeting on May 6th” announcement letter (see Part 3) was dated April 27th, but the email was sent out the next day, giving only 8 days’ notice, 9 at best, which violated the 10-day rule.
On May 4, Chairwoman Sullivan sent an email announcing the next GRCC monthly meeting on May 24th. The notice included items on the agenda:2
The same day, Chairwoman Sullivan received two email responses. The first, at 10:19 am, from Nicole Coles, which read:
“Who sent this ?? I have some questions.”
The second response from Cynthia Bjorlie, received at 1:40 pm, read:3
“Please change item #6 to item #1.”
Changing Tactics
The kerfuffle about member status and voting eligibility at the April meeting had been an early indicator that the opposition group was preparing another method of attack against GRCC leadership, targeting the Orlando family and later GRCC Treasurer Linda Charpentier. However, according to allegations in public case documents filed with the Essex County Superior Court (Orlando v Bjorlie et al.), the idea had originated earlier.4
Following the April meeting, State Committeewoman Orlando worked with the Gloucester City Clerk and the MassGOP to ensure the GRCC member list was accurate. This was an important clarification before Agenda Item #6 (a vote on the motion to remove the Chair) was to be voted on. On May 19th, she sent an email to all members that included a list of members eligible to vote at the next meeting. The email also contained a list of people who were not members and gave reasons for each; among those listed as non-members were Bud Hobbs, Steven Sexton, Joe(Sr) and Connie Orlando, and two others.5
Regardless of the above clarifications, the plan to scandalize the Orlandos—and therefore weaken the GRCC leadership—was already underway. On May 17th and May 19th, Robin Hubbard sent emails to the Gloucester Board of Registrars falsely claiming that Joseph and Connie Orlando, had committed voter fraud. And on May 22nd, Nicole Coles sent an email to all GRCC members titled “Voter Fraud in Gloucester” containing a PDF of Hubbard’s first letter to the Gloucester BOR.6
(Editor’s note: The letter sent to the Gloucester BOR by Ms. Hubbard on May 19th is provided in two documents to show that the unsigned email from May 17th was sent by the same person)
On May 23rd, the day before the monthly meeting, Chairwoman Sullivan emailed all GRCC members, addressing the opposition group’s tactics and highlighting their obvious motives.7
Also, on May 23rd, Joe and Connie Orlando sent an email letter to all the GRCC members, calling the actions of Hubbard, Coles, Bjorlie, and Sova divisive and possibly grounds for a defamation lawsuit.8
The actions of Bjorlie, Hubbard, and Coles regarding the false claims of voter fraud resulted in a defamation lawsuit brought against them by the Orlandos. As of this date, the case is ongoing. Despite the defendants’ claims, no voter fraud charges were ever filed against the Orlandos.
Where We Are So Far
Since early 2023 (and perhaps late 2022), Bjorlie and her cohorts plotted to remove Chairwoman Sullivan from her position. They attempted secret votes at unsanctioned meetings, inserted new members into the GRCC to bolster their numbers, questioned the voting rights of GRCC members, and accused former members of voter fraud. But they had only just begun. In the coming weeks, Mr. Clayton Sova would emerge as the new face of the opposition group while they continue to grow their anti-Sullivan voting bloc by questionable means.
Next up: The May Meeting
by Citizens for Truth Contributor
Editor’s note: All documents cited from the Orlando v. Bjorlie et al. case are publicly available and can be found by searching case number 2377CV00627 (Orlando, Concetta vs. Bjorlie, Cynthia, et al.) in the Essex Superior Court at:
Sources
[1] Sullivan, A. (2023d, May 1). Illegal Meeting Called.
[2] Sullivan, A. (2023e, May 4). Re: Join Us for our Monthly Meeting.
[3] Sullivan, A. (2023f, May 5). Re: Join Us for our Monthly Meeting.
[4] Orlando, Concetta vs. Bjorlie, Cynthia et al., Massachusetts Trial Court N1 (Essex Superior Court June 26, 2023). Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://www.masscourts.org/eservices/. Opposition to Motion to Quash Subpoenas filed by Concetta Orlando (August 29, 2023)
[5] Orlando, A. (2023d, May 19). Membership List Updated and Filed.
[6] Roberts, R. (2023, May 23). Fw: Notification sent to the Gloucester Board of Registrars concerning GRCC.
[7] Gloucester MA GOP. (2023, May 23). IMPORTANT letter from the Chair.
[8] Orlando, J. and C. (2023, May 23). Letter to the GRCC Members.
Massachusetts First 
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