The Resolution that Forced Out Shelby Williams

 Most people do not remember that Shelby Williams, now running for County Commissioner, Precinct 4, was forced out  of his position as Collin County GOP Chair by a dissatisfied Executive Committee.  This happened at the April 7, 2025 Executive Committee meeting.  This was quite a mess.  There were actually three emailed "Call for Meeting" messages sent.

In the first Call for Meeting email, Shelby Williams included this statement:  "... due to the instance of Brian Long that a resolution be put forth calling for my immediate resignation, we’re in this predicament."  Notice that Mr. Williams called a member out by name.  This is considered a breach of decorum, something Mr. Williams did frequently  This Call for Meeting email was dated March 28, 2025.  Then Mr. Williams sent a 2nd Call for Meeting email on April 1, 2025.  Finally, there was a 3rd Call for Meeting email sent out by RPT Chair Abraham George on April 2, 2025 (to be precise, it was sent by the RPT Executive Director Jennifer Hall for Abraham George).

On April 7, 2025 there was a vote taken by the Executive Committee and Byron Henry was voted in as the new party chair.  The background story that most people do not know is that a resolution asking for Mr. Williams immediate resignation had been passed without opposition by the Rules Committee.  The intention was to put the resolution up for a vote by the Executive Committee asking for Mr. Williams's immediate resignation.  Mr. Williams chose to resign immediately rather than have that vote taken by the Executive Committee.

Below is the text of the resolution asking Mr. Williams to resign.  You can see the reasons why Mr. Williams was asked to resign.

Thank you for your patience in this matter.

Robert

Resolution Calling for the Resignation of Chair Shelby Williams

WHEREAS, the role of the GOP Collin County Chair is to lead the party in a fair, effective, and impartial manner, ensuring that the interests of all Republican candidates and party members are served; and

WHEREAS, the County Chair’s responsibilities include overseeing the party’s operations, fundraising, candidate support, and election integrity efforts, all of which demand full attention and impartiality, particularly during Republican primaries; and

WHEREAS, the Collin County GOP is entitled to a County Chair who can devote sufficient time, energy, and motivation to the office, free from the distractions of pursuing personal political ambitions; and

WHEREAS, Chair Shelby Williams resigned from his position on the Plano City Council to announce his candidacy for Collin County Commissioner, Place 4, is now actively campaigning and fundraising for this new office, and plans to participate in the upcoming Republican primary; and

WHEREAS, on March 15, 2025, Chair Shelby Williams stated on his personal blog that he “didn’t want to be GOP Chair in the first place,” has not been consistently available during his scheduled office hours, and will likely have even less time to devote to County Chair responsibilities while campaigning; and

WHEREAS, Chair Shelby Williams has announced plans to remain County Chair until October, just before the filing deadline for the Republican primary (including his own race), thereby scheduling the election for an interim Chair during the already busy primary season; and

WHEREAS, retaining the County Chair position until October means Chair Shelby Williams will continue to serve for less than a year more, and a newly elected interim Chair would also serve for less than a year, limiting both effectiveness and stability in party leadership; and

WHEREAS, continuing to serve as County Chair while running for a new office creates a clear conflict of interest and may undermine confidence in the County party’s neutrality and effectiveness, including causing uncertainty among donors about whether to support the party or the Chair’s campaign; and

WHEREAS, stepping down now would mitigate these concerns, avert any actual or perceived conflict of interest, and ensure all Republican candidates and party activities receive fair and unbiased leadership free from any appearance of favoritism or undue influence;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Collin County GOP County Executive Committee formally requests that Chair Shelby Williams resign his position as Chair of the Collin County Republican Party effective immediately; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Collin County GOP County Executive Committee urges the prompt election of a new Chair to ensure continuity of leadership and preserve the integrity of the party’s operations in accordance with all applicable laws and rules; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution be communicated to the members of the Collin County Republican Party and made available to the public, reaffirming our commitment to ethical leadership and the fair administration of party affairs.