Met Club News

archives: previous reports from Met Club President Bob Morgan

January 10, 2008 

Happy New Year! 

2008 is here and it is already proving to be a very interesting political year.  While our Club does not endorse candidates until after the primary season, many of our members are actively working for the various Republican presidential candidates, all of whom can definitely use help.  Indeed, a number of Met Club members are already providing “war stories” of adventures in snowy New Hampshire .   If you need further information on the campaigns, check in at the Club during business hours and we will try to put you in touch.  

Our holiday party proved to be a big success.  The Clubhouse was beautifully decorated and we had a large and enthusiastic crowd and great food.  Again, many thanks to Georgiana Viest, Debbie Leible, Randie Rosen, Marcia Liveran, Erika Hauschildt and Georgia Palmieri,  and many others for your great assistance. However, I think everyone would agree that the highlight of the evening was a visit from the great elder statesman of East Side Republicanism, Senator Roy Goodman.  The Senator was mobbed by his many friends and well wishers at the Club and very patiently posed for numerous photographs.  We look forward to many, many future appearances at our Club by Senator Goodman.      

On Friday, January 18, our sister Republican club on the East Side , the Knickerbocker Republicans, will be holding a major social event to mark the 40^th anniversary of their club.   The party will be held at the Women’s National Republican Club, 3 West 51^st Street , on Friday, January 18.  Cocktails will start at 6:30 pm, dinner at 7:30.  Following the program, there will be dancing to the music of the Alex Donner Orchestra.   Tickets are reasonably priced at $130 each.  For further information, call the KRC hotline at 212-642-5258 or go online to www.knickerbockergop.com.  We congratulate our many friends in the Knickerbocker Club on this important milestone and hope a good number of Met Club members will be able to attend this event.  

Looking ahead,  February is already shaping up as a busy month.  The Club’s annual Super Bowl party will be held on Sunday, February 2, featuring Marcus Cedarqvist’s renowned chili and First Thursday will be on February 7.  Also, we tentatively plan to have the Club open to allow members to watch Super Tuesday results on February 5.   Last, but definitely not least, the Club’s popular Great Decisions foreign policy seminar, hosted by our own Ambrose Benkert and David Casavis, will be starting up again in February.  We will be sending out more specific information as to all these events as the dates approach. 

Finally, if you are not a member of our Club, this is a great time to sign up.  2008 will be an exciting year, both at the national and local level, and the Club provides a great way to meet and stay in touch with local Republicans, to attend interesting events and to participate actively in campaigns.  Membership starts at just $60 and forms are available at the Clubhouse as well as online at www.metclubnyc.org.        

January 4, 2006

The holidays are over and the Met Club is gearing up for an exciting 2007!

The Club website has been substantially upgraded.  We think you will like the new, easy to read, easy to navigate site.  Just log on to www.metclubnyc.org to check out the site.

And, as an extra added bonus of our new website, the Met Ball pictures have now been posted on the site.  You can see pictures of the 2006 event (as well as the one in 2005) and click on your favorites to enlarge.  The pictures are great memories of an excellent time last year and the year before.  Needless to say, we’re already starting preparations for our 2007 event, which we hope will be equally successful.  Very shortly, we’ll be assembling our Ball committee and we very much could use your participation and support.

Right now, the upcoming calendar includes our next First Thursday, the Club’s informal social, on February 1 from 6:30 to 9:30 ($10 for members, $15 for nonmembers includes all refreshments) and then our annual Super Bowl party on February 4, starting at around 5 pm.  Come out of the cold to watch the game on our widescreen TV and warm up with a bowl of chili.  In addition to the chili, there will be snacks and beverages.  The price is right at this event as well.  Just $10 for members and their guests, $15 for non-members.

In addition, however, a number of events are still in the works, including some great speakers plus a possible theatre party.  Also, our annual meeting will be held in early March.  We’ll be sending out information as soon as possible, so check your email or regular mail.

December 2006

Now that the elections are over, the Club will be taking a bit of a break from public events following our Holiday Party on December 7.  We've found that most of our members have very busy lives during the holiday season and we don't like to schedule events at a time when many people can't attend.

However, we're planning a big schedule for the beginning of next year, kicked off, of course, by First Thusday, the Club's informal social, on January 4.  The usual low prices ($10 for members, $15 for nonmembers) include all refreshments.  We'll be having our formal annual meeting in January, our Super Bowl party on February 4, plus a number of events that are very much in the works.  For example, we've been contacting a number of great speakers to address the Club and we are very likely to organize a theater party in late January or early February.  We're also looking into a blood drive.  We'll be sending out all of the details of these events in the very near future, so please check your email or regular mail.

The club has been earning revenue recently by renting out space at quiet times to appropriate users.  Recently, for example, the crew filming a movie called "Life in Flight" used our facilities as a place to take a break and have lunch.  We've also worked with a number of congregations using the club for religious services.  Our space is, of course, primarily for use as a political facility, but if you are aware of an event that might be suitable for the Met Club, please call Georgiana during business hours at (212) 288-8606 or send an email at mail@metclubnyc.org.

Thanks so much to our local candidates in the past election, Flip Pidot, Robert Heim, Michael Fandal, Dan Russo, and Frank Scala.  It was a difficult year for Republicans at all levels, but all of our local team stood tall, working hard to get the message out.  The Met Club is very proud of you.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND BEST WISHES FOR A HEALTHY, HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR.

November 2, 2006

The Met Club is coming off an exciting October and We're gearing up for a great run until Election Day.

Early in the month, we had an enthusiastic rally on October 5 featuring gubernatorial candidate John Faso and all of our local candidates, which was very well attended.  Then, on October 25, the Met Club was very proud to host the man who will restore honesty and integrity to the Comptroller's office, Chris Callaghan, following his debate with Alan Hevesi on NY-1 television.  Chris dropped in on a fundraising reception for Robert Heim and brought everyone up to date on his campaign.  Earlier in the evening, a number of Met Clubbers and other concerned Republicans went down to NY-1 studios to greet Chris and to protest Hevesi's substantial misuse of public assets.  The demonstration received considerable television publicity.

The Club's Oktoberfest party on October 12 was a great success.  Our executive manager, Georgiana Viest, made sure that the club looked like a slice of Bavaria and the food was excellently prepared by our multitalented county chairman, James Ortenzio.  In addition, the Beer and wine flowed and we had a great one-man oompah band graciously furnished by our good friend, James Moore.  The event was a financial success and made a dent in the club's substantial building expenses, most recently the installation of a new boiler.

It's now crunch time for the November elections.  All of our slate, which includes State Senate candidates Flip Pidot and Dan Russo and Assembly candidates Robert Heim, Michael Fandal, and Frank Scala, can use your help.  There's much that needs to be done to help the campaigns both in the office and on the street.

If you want to volunteer for Flip Pidot, please contact Ryan Casna, Deputy Campaign Manager, at ryan@flip4ny.com or at (917) 455-5119.  Robert Heim's campaign can be reached at (212) 744-5186 or send an email to info@robertfornewyork.com.  Dan Russo's campaign can be reached at candidate@danrusso.com.  Frank Scala's website is www.scala2006.org or you can contact the campaign in the daytime at (212) 679-3742 or at night at (212) 979-0921.  Finally, anyone wanting to work with Michael Fandal should check in at the Met Club, (212) 288-8606 during business hours.

On Tuesday, November 14, from 7 to 8:30 pm, the Club's Community Outreach Committee is pleased to offer a CPR class sponsored by the New York City Fire Department and the American Red Cross.  Learn this lifesaving skill from experts.  The event is free but you must register in advance by calling 212-288-8606.  Food and refreshments will be served.

Plans haven't been finalized yet but we are thinking about combining our holiday party with First Thursday on Thursday, December 7.  We expect it to be a very festive event with prices ($20 for members, $25 for nonmembers) only slightly higher than the usual nominal First Thursday charge.  We will be keeping you posted on this event.

FINALLY, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7.

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