MY TURN: What is a precinct committeeman?
Kootenai County is divided into 73 election precincts. It is within your precinct that you vote for a president, senator, congressman, state senator, state representative and for a precinct committeeman.
A precinct committeeman is a representative to and a member of the county party central committee. The Democratic Party elects precinct committeemen for each of the 73 precincts who together form the party’s county central committee which becomes the official party organ for the county. The central committee also elects representatives to the state central committee. The same is, of course, true for the Republican Central Committee.
A function of each central committee is to support their party’s nominee in a general election. It has been the rule, and until recently the case, that the parties would be neutral regarding competing party members in a primary election and then support the primary winner in the coming general election.
However, things have changed within the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) under the leadership of Chairman Brent Regan.
In recent election cycles, the Republican Central Committee has endorsed a slate of selected, “vetted” candidates urging voters to support the candidates chosen by the official Republican party. To the poorly informed and particularly new residents, this seems like a good bet; they are Republicans after all.
The problem is the selected and “vetted’ slate has been shown to be frequently unqualified, of questionable character and only committed to vote in lockstep with Brent Regan.
The KCRCC has become a cult. The selected candidates have caused turmoil and serious damage to various boards and commissions including North Idaho College, Community Library Network and West Bonner County School District. It turns out the only qualification for endorsement by the KCRCC is unthinking loyalty to Brent Regan and his circle of minions.
We can study candidates and resist buying into the KCRCC candidates, and we should. However, to put a stop to the threats to our community, the makeup of the central committee must be changed by electing precinct committeemen who are conservative but not crazy and who wish to preserve our community by electing thoughtful and public-spirited representatives at every level.
You can help. Precinct committeemen are elected in a primary election. The next one will be held May 21. Engaging in this election is your right and duty, and thankfully, it’s easier than ever.
Absentee ballots can be requested with a simple visit to www.idahovotes.gov. Fill out the information and you will ensure your voice is heard. This is not just about casting a vote; it’s about wielding your power to shape the future direction of our community and party.
If you are a Republican and are interested in righting the ship, please investigate the candidates running for your precinct. You can find traditional candidates to support by visiting the North Idaho Republicans website.
Now is the time to engage and vote as if the precinct committeeman is the most important race on the ballot … because it is.
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Dean Haagenson is a founding member of North Idaho Republicans.