Montco legislator to fill Kerns' shoes as county GOP chair

STATE REP. Mike Vereb of Montgomery County will serve as the new county GOP chairman, officials announced yesterday.

According to Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., who refused to back any candidate until now, Vereb was chosen as the only one "worthy of leading us forward in our time of need."

On Dec. 4, Vereb will replace Robert J. Kerns, who had headed the Montgomery County Republican Committee since 2008.

Since news surfaced Tuesday that Kerns would be stepping down from his post, the Daily News reported allegations of sexual assault involving Kerns - corroborated by several sources.

While he has yet to be charged with any crime, sources said the incident occurred after Kerns took home a co-worker following a GOP fundraiser on Oct. 25.

Castor wrote in an email that Vereb "and I have known each other for almost 30 years, going back to when we started in law enforcement together.

"I'm confident Mike has the relationships to heal old wounds and get our party moving again. I thank party leaders from all spectra of the GOP for their willingness to rally around Mike Vereb."

Asked if he had any knowledge of Kerns' situation, Vereb declined to comment on specifics, but said Kerns resigned because he "did not want to create any further distractions to the party."

"I did not convince him or ask him to step down. No one asked him to step down," said Vereb.

"My first order of business is: All negativity toward fellow Republicans will be unacceptable. I think we've reached a point where those fighting with each other have exhausted many people and I feel that I have the confidence to bring this party back together to where it belongs. This will not be a top-down leadership operation."