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About the Trustees

About the Trustees of The Republican Leadership Trust
The Republican Leadership Trust was established October 4, 2007 pursuant to a trust instrument under the Pennsylvania Uniform Trust Code, 20 Pa.C.S. §§ 7701-7799, by 59th Republican Ward Executive Committee, an official ward committee of the Philadelphia Republican Party under the Pennsylvania Election Code, 25 P.S. § 2837, to assure the uninterrupted equitable delivery of Republican All in One™ Political Suite™and its public portal, GOP onDemand™ along with other technology to state, county and local Republican committees without prejudice.

The Trustees are required by law as independent fiduciaries to act with loyalty and impartiality on behalf of all beneficiary Republican national, state, county and local committees, and unlike regular political parties or campaign committees, the Trustees must file accountings, issue an annual report, and are otherwise subject to supervision of what in Pennsylvania is known as the Orphan’s Court Division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas (in other states, such court usually is known as the Surrogate’s Court).

The Trust is administered by 15 co-trustees, which one serves as the Trustee Chairman and the remaining 14 co-Trustees are  assigned specific circuits within the RNC’s regional associations.  These co-trustees are the “Circuit Trustees.”  The Trustee Chairman is the Hon. Peter J. Wirs, elected twice as a state Constable, author, columnist and GOP ward chairman.

The Co-Trustees for the respective circuits are:

  • 1st Circuit (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.
  • 2d Circuit (New York and Connecticut) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.
  • 3rd Circuit (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware) is Frederick W. Hess, III, a major international beverage-food executive and now a leading consultant responsible for managing campaigns in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
  • 4th Circuit (District of Columbia and Maryland, with specific responsibilities for national committees) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.
  • 5th Circuit (North Carolina and Virginia) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.
  • 6th Circuit (Florida, Georgia and South Carolina) is the Hon. H. Paul Senft, Jr., Florida’s National Republican Committeeman and former Polk County Commissioner. 
  • 7th Circuit (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.
  • 8th Circuit (Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission
  • 9th Circuit (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission
  • 10th Circuit (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission
  • 11th Circuit (Texas and Oklahoma) is currently Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission
  • 12th Circuit (Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) is current Vacant,  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.
  • 13th Circuit (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah) is currently Vacant  pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.
  • 14th Circuit (representing California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington) is currently Vacant, pending resolution of pending matters with the Federal Election Commission.

Victor M. Young, Esq., serves as general counsel. William P. St.Clair, CPA, is the Treasurer.  Mark Bursic, chief executive officer of Political Technology, Pittsburgh, PA and who is responsible for the administration of MyGOPSite, a website hosting service linked to Republican All in One,™ is a Deputy Trustee for technology. 

The Trustees adopt Internal Operating Procedures (”IOPs”) which in addition to the Trust Instrument, is available from the Trust’s website at www.RepublicanTrustees.org.  Although under Pennsylvania law, the Trust is a charitable trust, Taylor v. Hoag, 278 Pa. 194, 116 A. 826 (1922) as cited by Note, Charitable Trusts for Political Purposes, 37 Virginia L.Rev 988 (1951) and cf. 2 Restatement Third, Trust, § 28 at p. 24, the Internal Revenue Code preempts; accordingly, contributions to the Trust are not tax-deductible. 26 U.S.C. § 6036.