The Schuylkill County Republican Party held a special meeting recently and the elected committee people from the 125 precincts.

The committee also named Gary Bender, of Tower City, as the new county chairman. He will fill the unexpired term of Joseph Stone, Deer Lake, who resigned before the general election last month.When Stone stepped down, Larry Padora, of New Ringgold, who was the vice chairman, took over the duties as chairman. Under his watch the party scored a great victory in the general election last Nov. 18. The party regained control of the county courthouse and almost made a clean sweep of the "row" offices failing only to capture the Clerk of Courts position. Padora ran for commissioner in the primary election but lost. He then supported the candidates in the fall election.Bender has a long successful political career in the western part of the county and is currently employed as the county's grant writer, demolition director and heads the county's Community Development Block Grant program. Bender is also chairman of the Schuylkill County Planning Commission. His term is for two years.