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 three co-trustees each assigned specific responsibilities as the systems administrator, fund-raising, and beneficiary relations. The Trustee Chairman and Systems Administrator is the Hon. Peter J. Wirs, elected twice as a state Constable, author, columnist and GOP ward chairman. The Co-Trustee & Finance Administrator 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. The third trusteeship is vacant upon the resignation of the Honorable Arlen M. Adams, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Victor M. Young, Esq., serves as general counsel. 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. As the Trust Property is administered in respective states, the Uniform Trust Code provides for appointment of Deputy Trustees in the respective jurisdictions to assist the Trustees.
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.