Michigan Republican Party

The blog of the Michigan Republican Party
Saulius "Saul" Anuzis :: Michigan Republican Party Chairman :: sanuzis
Jeff Timmer :: MRP Executive Director :: jtimmer
Rob Macomber :: MRP Director of Candidate & Party Assistance :: rmacomber

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Saulius "Saul" Anuzis :: Michigan Republican Party Chairman :: sanuzis

An active Republican since college, and a former Teamster, Saulius "Saul" Anuzis was unanimously elected Chairman of the Michigan Republican State Committee (MRSC) on February 5, 2005 (for more information, see http://www.anuzisforchair.com).

Born in Detroit on March 6, 1959, Anuzis attended Bishop Borgess High School and studied Economics at the University of Michigan on the Dearborn campus. His senior year he was elected President of the Student Government and also was one of the founders and first Chairman of the UM-D College Republican club on campus.

In 1980, Anuzis was elected as the youngest delegate to the Republican National Convention held in Detroit. After attending President Reagan's first inaugural, one of the highlights of Anuzis' life, he was elected Third Vice Chair of the MRSC. Anuzis also served six years as a member of the MRSC and two terms as a Congressional District Chairman.

One of Anuzis' biggest opportunities came when he met a small farmer from Lowell named Dick Posthumus. Saul managed Posthumus' first Senate race in 1982 and then worked closely with Posthumus throughout his rise in Michigan politics. During that time, Anuzis worked for the House Republican Campaign Committee, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, and finally as Chief of Staff to then Majority Leader Posthumus.

In 1990, Anuzis took a break from politics to focus on his family and business interests. He and partner Bruce Yuille founded Coast to Coast Telecommunications that year. They sold that business in 2000 and in 2001, Anuzis and Yuille co-founded Quick Connect USA (see http://www.800goquick.com), a telecommunications firm providing local, long distance, VOIP, internet and data services to residential and small businesses throughout Michigan. Anuzis serves as Chairman of Quick Connect USA. However, after being elected Chair of the MRSC, he is currently on a leave of absence from the company and maintains no day-to-day responsibilities.

Anuzis is particularly proud of his family's history. He speaks with pride of the Righteous Among the Nations award his parents and paternal grandparents received from Israel's national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, for helping three young girls escape from a Jewish ghetto and make their way from Lithuania to Estonia during World War II. One of those girls, now grown, nominated them for the award.

Anuzis tells a story of how his family was resettled after the war, first in a displaced persons camp in Germany, then in the basement of a church in Brooks, Minn. There, the priest gave his father a set of 19 books on how to become an electrician. He first had to learn to speak English, but he mastered both the language and the skill. His father then spent 32 years as a skilled tradesman on the line at the Detroit Fleetwood Fisher Body plant on Fort Street.

Anuzis is a Scout Master of a local Boy Scout troop, is actively involved in several Lithuanian-American organizations and serves on several non-profit boards. He was a Gubernatorial Appointee to the Michigan Jobs Commission and the Michigan Export Development Authority. He currently serves as Honorary Consul to Michigan for the Republic of Lithuania.

Anuzis is has been married for 19 years to Lina (Alksninis) and they have four sons: Matas-16, Tadas-14, Vytis-12 and Marius-10. They reside in Eaton County.

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Jeff Timmer :: MRP Executive Director :: jtimmer
Prior to joining the staff of the Michigan Republican Party, Timmer was Vice President at The Sterling Corporation, a leading public affairs, public relations, and campaign consulting firm. He has directed numerous legislative, congressional, and statewide political and ballot issue campaigns in Michigan, and provided strategic advice to corporate, public affairs, and political campaign clients. Additionally, Jeff has created, directed, and produced award-winning advertising for a variety of clients.

Timmer is recognized as one of Michigan's leading redistricting experts and has served as an advisor to Speakers of the Michigan House, Michigan Senate Majority Leaders, the Michigan House and Senate Republican campaign committees, and the Michigan Republican Party. Jeff served as Deputy Director of the Michigan Senate Majority Communications Office and was Political Director of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. He also served as a Special Assistant to the Michigan House Speaker and as a legislative analyst and communications specialist for the Michigan House of Representatives.

Timmer is a graduate of James Madison College at Michigan State University. He is a founding member of the American Association of Political Consultants - Midwest chapter and serves on the organization's board of directors.

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Rob Macomber :: Director of Candidate & Party Assistance :: rmacomber
Macomber, a resident of Grand Ledge has been active in grassroots politics since 1996. A graduate of Northwood University and former president of the N.U. College Republicans, Rob helped to recruit student volunteers for the Bush/Cheney campaign and the Midland County Republican Party. Since graduating, Rob has worked with a variety of Republican legislative and U.S. Congressional candidates, and joins the MRSC after having most recently served as Director of Constituent Relations for state Representative Gene DeRossett.