By John Minnis
Legal News
Ronna Romney McDaniel — granddaughter of former Michigan Gov. George Romney, daughter of popular Republican radio talk show host Ronna Romney and niece of one-time Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney — was the keynote speaker at the annual Eastside Republican Club PAC fundraiser dinner Sept. 30 at Sindbad’s Restaurant in Detroit.
Besides being a Romney, the speaker’s raison d’être was as chair of the Michigan Republican Party and past Republican National Committeewoman.
She stepped down from the RNC position in February when she took the head GOP job in Michigan.
“It’s a pleasure to have Ronna Romney McDaniel join us,” said ERC PAC member John Chouinard, who introduced the speaker.
He noted that besides being NRC committeewoman, precinct delegate, district committee executive member and state committeewoman in Michigan, Romney McDaniel chaired the Women for Mitt Michigan Coalition in 2012 and served as National Delegate to the Tampa Convention representing Michigan’s 11th District.
In 2013, she served as co-chair for the Mackinac Leadership Conference and was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on the Board of Marriage and Family Therapists.
“What a wonderful evening,” said Romney McDaniel, addressing the Eastside Republicans in the Sohar Room atop Sindbad’s overlooking the Detroit River. “Thanks John and John,” she added, referring to Chouinard and John Stempfle, chairman of the ERC PAC.
She was known in the family as “Little Ronna,” she said, and “I much prefer that to “Big Ronna!”
Referring to her “Uncle Mitt” Romney, she commented, “We all know it is a sad state of affairs that he is not running the country now.”
In her travels around the state as head of the Michigan Republican Party, Romney McDaniel said, “It is such a pleasure to be in this role, going around the state and getting to know my family from the people who know them.”
The state Republican Party’s role is to build the infrastructure to help get candidates elected, she said. “It all turns on the turnout on election day,” Romney McDaniel said. “That means something to the east side of Detroit. Our job, my job, is going around the state raising money to build the infrastructure.”
When she decided to return to her home state, Romney McDaniel said she was met with, “‘Why would you ever want to move back to Michigan? It’s a dead state.’ Look at us now. We have had the fastest growth of any state. Every economic indicator has our state turning around.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” she added, “but we have a good story to tell.”
Romney McDaniel reminded her GOP faithful that it has been since 1988 that the state went Republican in a presidential election.
“We’re building the groundwork,” she said. “Our biggest challenge in 2016 is keeping our majority in the state House. We have 21 seats at risk due to term limits. We’re going to be in the same situation in 2018 with the state Senate. That’s why this is such a pivotal election.”
Romney McDaniel concluded with a quote from Ronald Reagan:
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
As master of ceremonies, Stempfle introduced the many judicial and municipal leaders present: Michigan Appellate Judge Chris Murray; Wayne County Circuit Judge Ed Joseph; former Judges William Giovan and Richard Cunningham and Wayne County Juvenile Court referee Kelly Ramsey; Michigan Tax Tribunal Administrative Law Judge Norm Shinkle; Harper Woods Councilwoman Cheryl Costantino; Grosse Pointe Park Councilmembers Bob Denner, Barb Detwiler, Jim Robson and Dan Grano; Grosse Pointe Woods Councilmen Todd McConaghy and Rich Shetler; University of Michigan Regent Andrew Richner; and Grosse Pointe Mayor Dale Scrace. Stempfle also serves on the city council in Grosse Pointe.
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