POPLARVILLE — A group that some allege are associated with the Pearl River Patriots, which operates under the umbrella of the Mississippi Tea Party political activist organization, effectively took over the Pearl River County Republican executive committee during Saturday’s county convention, sources have told the Item. The executive committee runs the county Republican Party.

The group voted out long-time executive committee chairman Cecil Watkins of Picayune and replaced him with Tavish Kelly of Nicholson, a young political activist who is attending law school.

In addition, the group named 11 of 15 executive committee board members and named three alternates. Only four members on the old board were returned to a seat on the board.

Donna Knezevich, who was elected vice-chairman, charged that it was being painted as an “organized take over by the Tea Party” all over the state but it was not “planned or organized,” but was just a spontaneous effort by people who have gotten active in local county politics and are tired of seeing things done the same old way.”

Said Knezevich, “It was just a bunch of people interested in local politics who wanted to get involved.”

However, others painted a different picture.

Watkins remained on the executive committee board only because the group had no one to replace him from his district, a source said.

Controlling the executive committee means that the new group will control picking delegates to the state convention and might, in some cases, influence candidates to toe a more conservative party line.

“What happened Saturday is historic,” said one source, who asked that his name not be used.

Executive committee officials on Tuesday were preparing a press release to announce the changes, but it wasn’t clear when that might happen.

The Patriot group was said to have been able to bring about the change by effectively using the precinct process where delegates to the county convention are elected.

Usually three members each from each of the five supervisors’ districts are elected to the executive committee.

Those elected on Saturday were District One: Suzan Wilson and Emil Kleinfeld; District Two: Debbie Pizzati, Bobby Mitchell and Rance Bedwell; District Three: Richard Gary, Paul Ingram and Jansen Owen; District Four: Jeff Smith, Eugene McGraw and Kelly; and District Five: Cecil Watkins, Jose Lopez and Kim Moon. A third person was not nominated to represent District One on the county Republican executive committee, leaving only two people to represent that district.

At-large alternates are Knezevich, Matt Raphael, Monica Foulon and Vernell Spence.

Knezevich was named vice-chairman, Spence interim treasurer and Bedwell secretary.

A source said the committee did not want the news to get out “right now” but it was on the streets the next day and on “Picayune Talk” by Monday.

The web site for the Pearl River Patriots says they believe in limited government, are strict constructionist as pertains to the U.S. Constitution and believe America is a nation founded on Christian values. The county Patriots were founded March 10, 2009.

Watkins, asked on Tuesday to comment on the matter, told the Item: “At this time, I have no comment.”

One source told the Item that the group “just outvoted us.”

“They went to the precinct caucuses and had the people there to elect their delegates,” said Knezevich.

When the process was going on Saturday, Kelly was asked if he would be available to handle the executive committee business, and he told the county convention that he was attending college and studying to be an attorney, and that he would be available any time.

Watkins has been the executive committee chairman for about four years, and has been active on the executive committee for 12.

Knezevich ran as a Libertarian in the last election against State Rep. Herb Frierson (R-Poplarville). Mississippi does not require that a voter declare a party affiliation.

Only four members from the old committee were returned to office: Watkins, Ingram, Spence and Raphael, which means that the complexion of the committee has completely changed.

The Republican Party in Pearl River County is considered one of the strongest party operations in the state. During the last election the party fielded 66 local Republican candidates, while the Democrats fielded only three.

The county’s and state’s change to a preference for the Republican Party began in the early 1970s here and took over four decades to complete. There is only one Democrat elected to county office, and that’s Supervisor Anthony Hales, Sr.