The Last Straw
Our previous article, Massachusetts Morass Part 6: Swatting Down Special Meetings, documented how Clayton Sova, Cynthia Bjorlie, and their cohorts continuously ignored any actions by GRCC leadership aimed at tamping down their rogue activities, including a directive from Mass GOP State Chair Amy Carnevale. The group formed a PAC to fund their future candidacies and continued to scandalize GRCC leadership in any way possible. The boldest move was yet to come at their “Special Meeting” held on July 2nd, 2023, Independence Day weekend.
The Unofficial July “Special Meeting”
The day after the GRCC June monthly meeting, using his personal email and co-opting the official GRCC letterhead, Clayton Sova announced a “Special Meeting” to be held on July 2 with the stated purpose: “to remove the chairwoman for cause.”1
According to minutes dispersed by Sova,13 the meeting took place at Mortillaro Lobster Company and was called to order at 10:14 a.m. After dispensing a few formalities, the agenda item to remove Chairwoman Ashley Sullivan for Cause was introduced, and a list of grievances against Ms. Sullivan was read. Then Bud Hobbs called for a motion to remove, which Cynthia Bjorlie seconded.
Notice the vote indicates that 12 people were present at this “Special Meeting.” We know core opposition group members were present, but who else? Was everyone who “voted” a registered Republican, as required by the official GRCC bylaws?
Following the “5-minute period for discussion”, the meeting moved on to “Other business”:
Clayton Sova called an illegal meeting, “voted out” the chair of the committee, and then “voted” himself in as the new chair—the new chair of an illegitimate committee.
Playing Pretend
On July 10th, Clayton Sova sent another email to GRCC members, deceptively labeling his personal email as “Gloucester Republican City Committee” and signing himself as “chairman” of the GRCC.2 The email purported to announce the official July monthly meeting, as if he were the legitimate chair.
The notice included a tentative agenda/schedule with no detailed items listed. A few days later, on July 14th, Sova emailed a notice calling for a different meeting on July 25th (the day before his version of the “official” monthly GRCC meeting). This email included an agenda item, “RE: Call for Resignation and/or Removal of the Chairwoman Ashley Sullivan for Cause”.
Notice the email was sent using Sova’s personal email but labeled “C S.” Why not label it “GRCC” like the previous email?
One might wonder why this meeting was even necessary. Didn’t they “vote out” Sullivan as chair at their previous meeting on July 2nd? Why did they need to do it all over again? If Sova were the actual chairman, this meeting before the meeting should have been completely unnecessary.
On July 16th, GRCC Secretary Doug Parsons responded to Sova, saying he would not call for another meeting the day before the regularly scheduled one:3
Parsons included an itemized list addressing the grievances Sova had laid out in his email. Many of them dealt with his misunderstanding of how Robert’s Rules of Order are properly implemented at meetings.
On July 17th, Chairwoman Ashley Sullivan announced that the official GRCC July 26th meeting would be held via Zoom because
“we wish to have a respectful and orderly meeting, and unfortunately, Clayton and Co. have shown that they cannot behave appropriately at in-person meetings.”4
The email also announced that a motion to remove the 6 “bad actors” as members of the GRCC would be introduced at the official July meeting.
Read the full email here.
The Last Straw
Now, we come to the crux of the matter: The ultimate action that illustrates the lengths to which Sova, Bjorlie, and their disgruntled clan were willing to go to force their will onto the members of the Gloucester RCC.
On July 17, 2023, Clayton Sova sent a “Change of Officers” form to the OCPF, naming himself as the new Chairman of the GRCC. 5
Note the signatures of Doug Parsons (GRCC Secretary) and Linda Charpentier (GRCC Treasurer). Both of those signatures were copied and used without permission. OCPF filings are official state government documents. On July 18th, Ms. Charpentier filed a police report regarding Sova’s falsification of her signature.
Also, on the 18th, Chairwoman Sullivan emailed the Gloucester City Clerk to alert them of Sova’s fraudulent filing and ask that they reject it.6
State Committeewoman Amanda Orlando emailed Mass GOP leadership, including Chairwoman Amy Carnevale and Maura Cronin, the OCPF legal advisor, alerting them to Sova’s fraudulent filing and asking if they would take any legal action.7
On July 21, Chairwoman Sullivan emailed GRCC members detailing the events surrounding Clayton Sova’s fraudulent use of signatures to file with the OCPF.8 A few hours later, Clayton Sova emailed committee members claiming his filing was legitimate, legal, and had been “certified” by OCPF.9 He included an image of the filing with an OCPF stamp that signifies the filing had been received.
Sova also claimed that using the copied signatures of Parsons and Charpentier had been done in the past and that it was normal practice to use “Signatures on File.” He did not mention whether he secured Parsons and Charpentier’s permissions before using their “Signature on File.”
Mass GOP leadership, GRCC leadership, and the OCPF legal advisor discussed which appropriate steps should be taken to address Sova’s actions, as referenced in this July 21st email from John Milligan, the Executive Director of Mass GOP.10
Nevertheless, They Persisted
Despite all the authoritative entities insisting the rogue committee was not legitimate and that Clayton Sova was only the chairman in his imagination, he continued to issue emails posing as the chairman of the official GRCC, using the official letterhead, and pretending that he was running things in a very serious and legitimate manner.
On Monday, July 24th, Sova emailed a meeting reminder notice to GRCC members.11
He also addressed his use of copied signatures in the agenda, flipping the script and calling the police reports “false accusations.”
Like many times before, Chairwoman Sullivan was compelled to stress the illegitimacy of Sova’s emails and claims and remind GRCC members that the official meeting would be held via Zoom only.
Sova wasn’t the only member of the opposition group who persisted in claiming legitimacy, pretending their committee was real.
On the morning of the official GRCC meeting, to be held via Zoom only, State Committeewoman Orlando emailed members addressing Bjorlie’s email claiming a “new chairman.”12 Orlando iterated that
“The ‘meeting’ and ‘election’ on 7/2/2023 was not an official meeting or activity of the committee as determined by MassGOP Chairwoman Amy Carnevale.”
She also stated that the MassGOP was the governing body over local Republican committees and that
“Cynthia holds no position by which she may challenge the authority of the chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.”
Dueling meetings did occur on July 26, 2023. The official meeting was held at 7 p.m. via Zoom so that committee business could be done. At the same time, the malcontents held their meeting in person at The Pilot House, pretending that their actions were legitimate with the GRCC and the MassGOP.
Next: A Tale of Two Meetings – Cease and Desist
by Citizens for Truth Contributor
Sources
[1] Sova, C. (2023, June 21). Special Meeting of the GRCC to be held 7/1/23.
[2] Sauverc, G. R. C. C. (2023, July 10). GRCC Meeting: NOTICE OF MEETING July 26, 2023.
[3] Parsons, D. (2023, July 16). Re: NOTICE OF 7/25/23 GRCC MEETING: Required 10 Day Notice Given.
cc: Kelly Secrest, Steven Sexton, Tim Sova, Mary Pat Derosa, Bud Hobbs
[4] Gloucester MA GOP. (2023, July 17). Reminder: Letter to the GRCC Members.
[5] Charpentier, L. (2023, July 19). Re: Report of Falsification of My Signature, Gloucester Police Department Report #23-119.
[6] Parsons, D. (2023b, July 18). Re: Gloucester Republican City Committee – Fraudulent Filing.
cc: Amanda Orlando, Linda Charpentier
[7] Orlando, A. (2023, July 20). Fwd: Falsification of Signature on State Document.
[8] Gloucester MA GOP. (2023b, July 21). Clayton Attempts to File Falsified Form with Government Entities.
[9] Sauverc, G. R. C. C. (2023b, July 21). GRCC: Letter from Chairman Clayton Sova.
[10] Milligan, J. (2023, July 21). Re: GRCC: Letter from Chairman Clayton Sova.
cc: Maura Cronin, Amy Carnevale, Ashley Sullivan, Doug Parsons, Linda Charpentier, Richard Baker
[11] Sauverc, G. R. C. C. (2023c, July 24). GRCC Meeting: AGENDA OF MEETING July 26, 2023.
[12] Orlando, A. (2023b, July 26). Re: GRCC.
cc: Ashley Sullivan, Doug Parsons, Linda Charpentier, et al.
[13] Sauverc, G.R.C.C. (2023, July 7). GRCC: Minutes for GRCC Meeting held on July 2, 202307.
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