3 GOP Foot Soldiers to Share in a Bit of History

They have flown out from Reagan country, and landed in what is--at least for a week--George W. Bush territory.

They aren’t members of Congress. They aren’t big-time donors. They are just three Ventura County foot soldiers with a mission to elect a Republican president: a retired teacher and Ronald Reagan disciple from Camarillo, a Simi Valley city councilman with a firm faith in old-fashioned family values, and the politically moderate proprietor of a Camarillo cornfield known as the Amazing Maize Maze.

Beginning Monday at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, they will be among 162 California delegates throwing their support behind George W. Bush in the race for president, amid nearly a week of parties, luncheons and all-out political schmooze sessions.

“This old retired teacher is a delegate: There is a God out there,” said Lois Glab, 72, of Camarillo, a docent at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library who has a true believer’s Republican fire and a gift for brushing up against her political idols.

The three delegates--Glab, Glen Becerra and Beth Rogers --submitted applications for the chance and were chosen by the California Bush for President committee’s chairman, Gerry Parsky.

“He was trying to enhance the number of first-time delegates,” said Lindsey Kozberg, media coordinator for the California delegation. “Rather than taking the floor as delegates, [the elected politicians] said we should give the seats to constituents.”

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), a veteran of two conventions, said he would be in Philadelphia for some of the festivities, but would likely jet out early for the birth of his grandchild.

“I’ve never been a fan of great, big to-dos,” Gallegly said. But, “it helps to get a better feel for issues, and better understand different parts of the country.”

The Ventura County alternate is Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark). Rogers was pulled from the alternate list to attend the convention after Mary Moore of Camarillo--a mystery delegate even to local politicos--pulled out.

Each of the three county delegates is paying all of his or her own way, except for Becerra who gets a subsidy from his employer, Southern California Edison.

Although the convention is considered by many to be merely a hyped-up week of unnecessary candidate puffery, Ventura County’s delegates are looking at the event as a chance to be part of history, share their views and rub elbows with the political elite.

When Bush “looks at you, it’s like you’re the only person in the world,” said Glab, sounding like a 14-year-old at her first Backstreet Boys concert--until she gets to the second half of her thought: “I think his candor and integrity are sorely needed.”

Glab started as a Chicago Democrat, but cast her last ballot for that party when she voted for John F. Kennedy. Since then, she has become one of the Republican faithful and is president of the Republican Women Federated in Ventura County.

“I think Reagan is probably the greatest president we’ve ever had,” said the library docent. Glab has the political version of a fan’s dream job.

She has chatted with George W. Bush. She has guided tours for the closest aide of Jeb Bush, George W.’s brother and the governor of Florida. She heard behind-the-scenes stories from Ronald Reagan’s Secret Service agents. She even has a personal invitation to a reception for Nancy Reagan at the convention, an offer she has been told was a coup to acquire.

“There’s so much excitement over there,” she said. “It will be one of the highlights of my life. There will be a lot of parties. And I’m a party person.”

Becerra, 32, a fourth-generation Simi Valley resident and the city’s youngest councilman, said the process itself will be the highlight for him: the approval of the platform and of Bush’s nomination.

Becerra was the first in his family to go Republican, and said he brought his parents around to his party affiliation.

“My parents never wanted a handout. They worked very hard to provide for themselves,” he said. “The core family values are what drew me to the Republican Party.”

Becerra said he thinks of the convention as a chance to help determine the direction of society, adding that he thinks the country is headed the right way economically, but that it has lost its moral compass.

“I want to feel good about this country on every level,” he said.

Rogers of Carpinteria, who runs the Amazing Maize Maze with her husband and is president of the Seneca Network--an organization that helps Republican women run for office--is headed for the convention on a mission.

She wants to help promote women running for office, and fears that her party has become the bastion of the white male. She said this is her chance to seek out like-minded people willing to expand the focus of the party.

“I know why I’m a Republican. For business. Enterprise. A free market,” she said. “What we’ve seen as the side effect of not going out and developing inclusion is that women say ‘Thank you. No thank you.’ ”

Rogers, who calls herself a public affairs junkie, said the convention will mainly be an exercise in “cheerleading,” but also a week-long lesson in political strategy and campaigning.

It’s “up close and personal,” she said.