Local Republican officials have filed a lawsuit to gain control of the Hillsdale County Republican Party.
“We seek a declaratory judgment putting to rest the controversy over who has control of the Hillsdale County Republican Party,” attorney Jonathan Lauderbach said.
When the HCRP’s “America First” executive committee officers barred more than 61 delegates from the August county convention, County Commissioner Brent Leininger led a group in an Aug. 25 meeting, where he and other local officials claim to have been voted in as the party’s new leadership. The original executive committee officers refused to yield control, so according to Lauderbach, Leininger’s group sued them on Oct. 12.
The plaintiff group includes Leininger, Zoning Board Member Penny Swan, County Clerk Marney Kast, Prosecutor Neal Brady, recently-defeated County Commissioner Kathleen Schmitt, and Bambi Somerlot. The lawsuit names the party’s original executive committee officers as defendants, namely Daren Wiseley, Jon Paul-Rutan, Lance Lashaway, Josh Gritzmaker, Belle Steier, and Jon Smith.
“I’m not fighting with that many citizens. If you go look at the group of people that’s fighting us, every single one of them is government-related,” Smith said. “Why do officials want to be in charge of the Republican party anyways?”
Plaintiffs take issue with an HCRP “America First” executive committee meeting on July 28, in which officers voted to disavow party members before the county convention.
“These guys committed a crime, held an illegal meeting, they relied on a section of the bylaws that does not apply,” Lauderbach said.
The lawsuit alleges the HCRP’s executive committee broke state election law, along with state and local party bylaws. Plaintiffs claim their Aug. 25 meeting, however, complied with all requirements and therefore counts as valid.
Smith said in a Facebook post that he considers the plaintiffs a part of the “good old boys club,” and he thinks they are ineffective at carrying out party business.
The plaintiffs are asking for a preliminary injunction, Lauderbach said, which they hope would speed up the judge’s decision so they can take party control before the November county convention.
“After the November general election, there will be a county convention to elect a new executive committee,” Lauderbach said. “There have been some statements made by the defendants in this case that they intend to disrupt that process.”
Smith said he thinks the lawsuit will only complicate the county convention.
“This lawsuit is a waste of time, because the leadership steps down in a couple weeks,” Smith said. “What was the purpose?”
Lauderbach said if the plaintiffs win, party members would vote on their leadership status at the county convention.
The case is set to appear before Judge Sara Lisznyai in the Hillsdale County Circuit Court on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. for a motion hearing.
Background
Officers of the HCRP’s “America First” executive committee held a meeting on July 28, in which they voted to disavow more than 61 county convention delegates. In early August, they sent disavowal letters to the delegates, including state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, state Rep. Andrew Fink, and Hillsdale College Professor of Economics Gary Wolfram, calling them “Trochky [sic] International Socialists.” Party officials barred the delegates from attending their Aug. 11 county convention.
While the official convention took place in Sozo Church, Leininger led an alternate convention of disavowed delegates in a downtown parking lot. The state party ruled in favor of the alternate convention on Aug. 19, and accepted their nominees to represent Hillsdale at the state Republican convention.
Smith raised concerns that the delegate election was rigged, and County Clerk Marney Kast dismissed these accusations as an HCRP error when filing paperwork.
Twenty Republicans, many of whom took part in the alternate convention, met on Aug. 25 to remove the original HCRP executive committee officers. Leininger said attendees voted to replace them with himself and other county officials.
The Michigan Republican Party ruled in favor of the HCRP’s original leadership in an Aug. 27 letter, recognizing the group they had previously ruled against. Leininger said he and the other Republican officials would not comply with the state party’s ruling.
Both groups had been preparing for a legal battle since September, and with this lawsuit, it has arrived.
