To the editor:
We are Republican Precinct Committee members, and we are disturbed and angered by the actions of Brown County’s Republican Party leadership. As lifelong Republicans, long-standing precinct committeemen, a former eight-year county chairman, and former delegates to numerous state conventions, we are appalled by the recent posts made on the former Brown County Republican Party’s Facebook page. The inappropriate and irresponsible posts are not representative of who we are as individuals, Republicans, as a community or as Americans.
We have been waiting for a public response and apology by the Republican County Chairman, Mark Bowman, and his wife, Robyn Rosenberg, who maintain and control what is posted on the page, but have heard nothing to date.
On Thursday, May 27, 2021, our Republican Precinct Committee meeting was held and not one of your precinct committee persons raised the issue, questioned the posts, or asked that a public apology be issued.
These are your elected officials, representing you in the precinct you live in. And to be clear, all of our current Republican elected officials and precinct committeemen have been aware that the party’s Facebook page exists and they have visited and/or contributed to the page for years.
Why the silence? For one, the Bowman/Rosenberg duo run the party with an iron fist. It’s their way or the highway. At monthly meetings, votes are rarely taken for consensus, checks are written without committee approval, and we rarely see a hard copy of a financial report. The meetings are closed-door only with only precinct committee persons and their approved invited guests permitted to attend. You either agree with them or you are ostracized and excommunicated from the precinct committee and/or party.
Additionally, if you are running for office or for re-election, and you are not willing to cast aside your own ideas or beliefs — look out! They will campaign against you, exclude you from party events and election materials, challenge you as a candidate or delegate, and even fabricate a so-called legal investigation against you in an attempt to keep you from being re-elected. (Just how long is that so-called investigation going to go on at taxpayers’ expense over the primary election of 2020?)
So, our Brown County Republican Precinct Committee is loaded with SHEOPLE — the Brown County version of the old folktale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” You know, the emperor who wore invisible clothes and everyone around him told him everything he wanted to hear — fearful of speaking the truth. This is reality under the current party “leadership.”
Because of the iron fist tactics, so many true, solid Republicans have been cast aside — banned from attending meetings, volunteering in the fair booths, campaigned against — just because they don’t “fit in” with the kind of people the party leadership duo attracts. An obvious compliment to the cast-offs, but truly sad for what was once a strong and reputable local party.
It is also important to note that we have a duly elected Republican county clerk with Kathy Smith. Rather than have a precinct committee supporting her, the majority have done everything in their power to attempt to discredit her and continue to encourage our prosecutor (also a precinct committeeman) to continue searching for something, anything, to use against her. All of this because the county chairman and his wife had a different candidate in mind whom Kathy Smith beat in the primary. So they are out to destroy and discredit Kathy, one of the most credible Republicans and best volunteers we have ever known in our local party. For the 2022 election, the county chairman has struck a deal with the Democrats to run the previous county clerk, a lifelong Democrat, on the Republican ticket. Be sure to watch the ballot next spring!
This is your Brown County Republican Party today, and now you have a better understanding of why it is difficult to find qualified, reputable individuals to run for office. Who would want to get involved in this mess?
We have a call to action for the current elected precinct committeemen and their appointed vice committeemen listed below. They need to speak up and publicly announce in the newspaper where they stand. Either denounce the actions of the party chairman and his wife, or continue to sit idle and say nothing. Saying nothing means they support their actions. Precinct committeemen are elected by the people in their voting precinct, so it is only fair that voters know where they stand.
Hamblen 1: Cynthia Rose Wolpert / Blake Wolpert
Hamblen 2: Mark Bowman / Tanner Bowman
Hamblen 3: Phil Stephens / Deborah Noe
Jackson 1: Deborah Goodrich / Darren Byrd
Jackson 2: Diana McDonald Biddle / Scott Rudd
Jackson 3: Sandy Higgins / Jamie Voils
Jackson 4: Larry Gardner / Herb Ross
Washington 1: Dave Redding / Keith Baker
Washington 2: Mike Magner / Brandon Magner
Washington 3: Ted Adams / Robyn Rosenberg
Washington 4: Brad Stogsdill
Officers: Chairman Mark Bowman; Vice Chairman Deborah Noe; Secretary Judy Hamilton; Treasurer Julie/Julia Reeves
If you are a Brown County resident who would like to speak personally with your precinct committeemen or elected official about their stance on the party’s Facebook posts or other matters concerning the local party, feel free to contact either of us and we will be happy to provide you with their public record contact information.
The actions of the current party leadership and the precinct committeemen acting like SHEOPLE do not represent ALL Republicans, and they certainly do not speak for or represent US.
Ben Phillips, Van Buren precinct chair, 812-343-9930; Jenni Voris, Van Buren vice precinct chair, 812-340-9342
