As the Nevada GOP Turns

(Chuck Muth) – More details are coming in over this morning’s report that Nevada Republican Party executive director Brent Husson had been “fired” yesterday by the party’s Executive Committee.

Insiders are telling me that technically he wasn’t “fired” because he was never officially “hired.” Husson has been acting in the position of interim executive director since new party Chairman Chris Comfort was elected to replace outgoing Chairman Sue Lowden last November – although in an unpaid capacity. However, Husson reportedly was asking for a higher salary to take the job officially – I’m hearing $8,000 a month – than the executive committee was willing to pay.

Some of the party elders reportedly thought the acceptable salary level should have been in the $50,000 a year range. So Husson reportedly proposed taking a lesser salary, but with a fundraising bonus provision. However, rumors are circulating that Republican National Committeewoman Heidi Smith torpedoed Husson’s compromise proposal.

I was unable to reach Committeewoman Smith; however, Chairman Comfort told me those rumors are absolutely, positively and completely untrue. While confirming that Husson was, in fact, “dismissed as interim ED” yesterday, there is no disagreement or problem between himself and Smith. “Heidi and I see eye to eye,” Comfort assured me.

Comfort’s spokesman followed up with me late this morning, but would neither confirm nor deny any of the reports or rumors surrounding the matter other than to say that Husson’s dismissal wasn’t only about the salary issue. In any event, the bottom line is that Husson, as of yesterday, is no longer the party’s executive director – paid or unpaid; official or unofficial; interim or permanent.

And the beat goes on.

But while we’re on the subject of the Nevada GOP, here’s another note which Sue Lowden haters are going to hate.

Turns out that when Lowden resigned as chairman to enter the GOP primary for Nevada’s U.S. Senate race last September, she left the party in A-1 shape. By immediately closing the party’s headquarters and laying off the party’s staff following the 2008 election debacle – and then launching an aggressive, national direct mail fundraising program targeting the defeat of Harry Reid – Lowden left the party and incoming Chairman Chris Comfort with virtually no debt.

In addition, her forward-thinking direct mail program is now actually NETTING money for the party each month, a fact which was confirmed by the party’s spokesman this morning. Indeed, I’m told the party may have cleared as much as $50,000 in January alone, though the party spokesman would neither confirm nor deny that report.

In any event, it seems the claims that Lowden left the party “bankrupt” are untrue. In reality, Lowden made the tough, though unpopular, calls necessary keep the party’s head above water during the off-year and in the middle of this recession and put it in a position for a strong recovery during this year’s campaign season when it was most important.

Hmm, sounds like just the kind of common-sense business experience we could use more of in the United States Senate, huh?