My Letter of Resignation

To the Executive Board and the Members of Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate:

My name is Cody Reynolds and I had the distinct pleasure of meeting many of you at the January 22^nd meeting in Sharpsville Indiana. Most of you may remember me as the young man who stepped up to the microphone and asked the standing Board Members to run for reelection in order to insure that all of our group’s leaders had stood in a fair and formal selection process. In my mind, if we as a group are to truly embody the morals and values of the conservative movement that is sweeping across our great nation, then we should apply them also to our own group. I cannot thank you all enough for the warm words and spirited conversations that each of you shared with me on Saturday. Your patriotism and love for our great nation was palpable and truly warmed my heart.

Unfortunately this letter does not mark the beginning of our journey together with Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate, but rather my exit. Today, January 26^th, 2011 the other members of the Executive Board, without ever contacting me, have begun the process of terminating me in my role as the Representative of District 1. Their decision rests on the fact that I am not a leader of a Tea Party group. Indeed this is true; I am not a Tea Party Group Leader. Instead, I have been active in politics for five years and have been blessed with the opportunities to work with true conservatives, such as State Treasurer Richard Mourdock and Porter County Commissioner Nancy Adams on issues that matter most to conservatives. And I am not a stranger to the Tea Party movement, having traveled the state with Richard Mourdock and meeting many of the groups on their own turf. Indeed I also have close ties with Mark Leyva, Indianapolis Tea Party Leader Diane Hubbard, as well as group members Jinni Schnieder and Paul ‘Killer’ Kilpatrick. I may not be a Tea Party Group leader, but my conservative standings should be beyond doubt.

However, not all is at it seems. It has come to my attention that while I was terminated due to my Tea Party Status, two other board members were allowed to remain yet they also lack the same credentials. Neither Tony Hill, the 4^th District Representative, nor Gregg Spetig have their own Tea Party group, in fact Tony ended his membership with the Indianapolis Tea Party well over a year ago. I am not asking to be reinstated, nor am I trying to cause division in a time when unity is very much needed. Instead all I am asking is for the rules to be applied fairly to all members. For this reason I refuse to accept termination and instead resign of my own volition. But I ask all of the members to hold our leaders accountable, and to make sure that all rules and regulations are applied evenly and fairly. For if we do not from the very start demand fairness and equality from our leaders, then they will have no reason to give it to us in the future.

In closing, I leave you with very much the same message that I brought you last weekend: Stand together and stand strong, but make sure our leaders play fair. Our fragile union will not withstand the ego stroking and immaturity that already seems to be pervading our Board of Directors. Keep them true, keep them honest, and most importantly keep them conservative. But above all else, let nothing stop us in uniting to unseat Senator Lugar, for his retirement is long overdue.

Thank you and I look forward to meeting all of you on the campaign trail again one day.

Sincerely,

Cody Reynolds