The new face of the Republican Party

Alexis Barker
NLJ Reporter
 
The new chairman of the Weston County Republican Party board is Kari Drost, a relative newcomer to Newcastle and even newer to the local Republican Party. Drost has quickly moved through the ranks of the local political organization, hoping to increase community awareness and the party’s involvement in the community. 
“I have been in involved in the Republican Party for as long as I could vote. I moved to Newcastle two years ago and wanted to get involved right away,” Drost said. “I want people to know where to go. When I came here, it took me awhile to find the Republican Party to be able to get involved and I would like us to be more visible in the community.” 
Drost said that she wants people who are interested in the party and in getting involved to be able to quickly find board members. 
“I want us to be a fun group that people look to for information. I want us to be the information source — but a source that has fun and exciting things going on,” Drost said. 
The only major change Drost has attempted to institute is the party’s involvement in the community. 
“I know the Republican Party has always been kind of on the sidelines and that they were not actively involved for a while, from what I understand,” Drost said. “I want us to be more vocal, to be more involved.”
To date, Drost has enjoyed the education events the party has been a part of. The first was a candidate’s forum that the party hosted before the general election and the other is the recent legislators’ symposium to wrap up the legislative session. 
“I would like to do more events like that. I want to get the word out and allow citizens to hear more about what is going on within our government and our party,” Drost said. 
She said that she would also like the party to get more involved in outreach and education in the community. 
“We want more opportunities for the people to get together and talk, for the betterment of the community and to keep people more informed,” Drost said. 
The next event the group will host is a fundraiser for the local party. Drost hopes to host a bake-off in June, but specific details are yet to be determined by the board. 
Anyone interested in becoming involved in the Weston County Republican Party is encouraged to contact Drost at karidrost72@yahoo.com. Other board members are Allen Slagle, who is the vice chairman and committeeman; his wife, Ann, who is the committeewoman; and Andy McKay, who is the secretary-treasurer.