The wait is over.

The Lexington County GOP has a new chair – though the previous chair, recently ousted, continues to act as though she’s leading the local Republican Party.

At the party’s regularly scheduled Jan. 15 meeting, members voted 1st Vice Chair Mark Weber as the new official chair of the county party. Former chair Pamela Godwin, elected in April, was removed by the state party’s Executive Committee in December, ending a months-long schism during which the county GOP separated into opposing factions led by Godwin and Weber, each with separate websites and social media accounts.

State Rep. Jay Killmartin (R-Lexington) was named temporary president in order to conduct the election of the new chair. Weber was the lone nomination for chair, with Lexington Town Council Member Will Allen nominating him, Allen also swore Weber into the position.

“My role as chair is to help herd all these cats together and try to get us going in the right direction and a common direction,” Weber said upon being sworn in. “So I appreciate your faith in me.”

“I want to kind of get us back to where we need to be going,” he added.

3rd Vice Chair John Allen stated that the county party is moving forward, adding that since the state did their part, everyone is now on the same page.

“Everybody is reassured now that we can move forward as a body without worrying,” Allen said.

Prior to the meeting, Godwin’s faction apparently also showed up at the Flight Deck Restaurant meeting space, the site for the meeting, posting a picture of Godwin and supporters in front of the room’s marquee welcoming the Lexington County GOP.

“What a blessed Time that we had at the flight deck today, speaking out the truth of God’s word, praying …binding/loosing /casting out,” Godwin’s LCRP Facebook page posted. “We cleaned house!!! #PTL No weapon formed against us shall prosper in Jesus name!!! The Facts are the facts! You can Wish all day or something else but it doesn’t make it real!! No Recall Provision in SC! Period!”

The state party confirmed Godwin’s removal from the chair position in December, explaining to the chronicle that Godwin was deemed to have violated a rule stating that any individual that holds a party office can’t take legal action against another member. 

The faction led by Weber previously claimed that Lisa Dowdy, co-chair of a “Disciplinary Committee” under Godwin, was suing 3rd Vice Chair John Allen, Treasurer Jackie Fowler, and Preston Baines for $7,000 per person and other miscellaneous items. These legal actions, dismissed in November, were confirmed by county court records.

Godwin continues to deny she had anything to do with these lawsuits.

Included in her faction’s Facebook post was a letter to state GOP Chair Drew McKissick and state GOP Executive Director Hope Rossi, claiming that the county party’s executive committee voted to abide by the county’s rules and continue with Godwin as the county chair for her two-year term.

“There is no recall provision in SC to remove her unless she becomes disabled or resigns,” the letter claims. “We have in our possession, examples of letters that Drew sent out stating that there is no recall provision.”