To the editor:

I have never met Blake Wolpert. Couldn’t pick him out from a crowd of two.

His letter to the editor reminded me of the behavior of another fella that I have had the unpleasant experience of meeting: Mark Bowman. Wolpert attacked the messenger. He called Ben Phillips and Jenni Voris mentally unstable because he didn’t agree with their opinion of Republican Party chair, Mark Bowman, and his wife, Robyn Rosenberg. He further stated that they should be pitied for their illness.

These are the exact tactics that Phillips and Voris were telling you about in their letter to the editor regarding the leadership in the Republican Party. This is your proof of the ill-mannered behavior within the party.

I met Mark Bowman in a public meeting regarding the Maple Leaf (Brown County Music Center). I was in opposition to government ownership of a business that put taxpayers at risk of paying for this $15 million venue. Republican Party Chair Mark Bowman was pushing this venue through our government and had his elected officials in every seat to make certain this venue was approved by Brown County government. Mark Bowman yelled at me in that meeting. I had never met him before. I later found out who and what he was. I swore then that if Bowman ever did that again, I would scream in his face that he did not have permission to talk to me that way.

Robyn Rosenberg Bowman, who became the president of the Maple Leaf Building Corporation (appointed by Diana Biddle), has her signature on every purchase contract between the county and Maple Leaf. In a public meeting, Rosenburg stood up, turned around, and verbally attacked me for opposing the Maple Leaf. She was so disruptive to the meeting that the board president had to redirect her to her seat. Rosenberg also denied me access to Maple Leaf Building Corporation documents. I filed a complaint with the Public Access Counselor. However, the Maple Leaf Management Group provided those requested documents within 24 hours and issued an apology regarding Rosenburg’s behavior.

I believe that Voris and Phillips have given this county a gift. They have told you the truth about the leadership, or lack thereof, in the local Republican Party. I thank them for their courage.

Sherrie Mitchell, Brown County

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