Dear editor,

On behalf of the Walker County Republican Party, I would like to state that we qualified every candidate who met the legal requirements of qualifying for their respective offices. Failing to qualify candidates who meet the legal requirements would be a failure of the Republican Party, as well as being unlawful.

The primary system has worked, and the voters have made their decision on who will lead our county for the next four years.

Mr. Alexander Boyle has cried “shame” upon the Walker County Republican Party and myself for qualifying Mr. Doug Grammer. Mr. Grammer has performed many services for the GOP on a county, district and state level by virtue of offices he had held or just by being asked. Mr. Grammer came in second in a three-person race and should be commended for offering himself for public service.

I consider it extremely rude for someone to continue to throw mud at a candidate even after he has lost his race. Many of Mr. Boyle's charges have now been refuted by the [Walker County] Messenger. I do not understand Mr. Boyle’s preoccupation with Mr. Grammer. Perhaps Mr. Boyle is still upset that the Walker County Republican Party unanimously removed him from the Walker County GOP in 1996 for conduct detrimental to the party by his public endorsement of U.S. President Bill Clinton and then commissioner candidate Buddy Chapman, both of whom were Democrats.

I hope that Mr. Boyle gets over the grudges of the past.

Nathan A. Smith, chairman, Walker County Republican Party