MY TURN: Non-disclosure agreements: Brent Regan’s weapon of silence

I’m Kellie Palm, and I’ve lived in Kootenai County for 44 years. 

I have been a conservative, Christian, Republican since birth. I graduated from Lakeland High School in 1989 and have been a staunch supporter of conservative values my entire life. I attended NIC, as did my oldest daughter, and my husband of 32 years also graduated from NIC. I’ve been committed to making our community a great place to live.

I previously served on the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) in 2012 and 2014. During that time period, I saw Libertarians and Constitutionalists infiltrate the Republican Party because they know Republicans win here. Little by little over the past 12 years they took over the Republican Party because Republicans get elected and no one was paying close attention when I wrote articles about it in 2012 and 2013, but people are starting to realize I was right. 

I’ve witnessed the KCRCC led by Chairman Brent Regan do as they are told. To a fault. Many have blindly followed for the past 10 or so years since he’s been the chairman. It is my belief that he has been pulling the puppet strings from the onset of the infiltration of the Republican party in North Idaho. 

This spring, true Republicans once again ran for precinct committee to take back the party. So, when I was presented with the possibility to level the playing field, I was all in. I recently won my seat as the 314 Republican Precinct Committeewoman in the 2024 May Primary. Yet, Brent Regan hung on to his chairmanship with a slim majority.

One of Chairman Regan’s biggest faults is his refusal to be open and transparent.

Transparency is key for a government that truly serves its people. For the KCRCC to earn public trust, its candidate vetting process should be open. The vetting committee consists of some unelected people whose names are not disclosed, using Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to keep information secret.  

Non-Disclosure Agreements are legally binding contracts that prevent vetting committee members from revealing what they know to be true. Chairman Regan argues these NDAs allow candidates to speak freely, but instead they keep the public in the dark by sealing the whole truth. 

Chairman Regan threatened that committee members could be sued for sharing any information gathered during our meeting.

KCRCC Chairman Brent Regan says NDAs protect candidates from unfair influence. However, sharing facts isn’t about swaying opinions; it’s about making informed decisions. 

Chairman Regan argues that keeping discussions private prevents unfairly swaying opinions. But secrecy doesn’t ensure accuracy. It silences voices and limits access to information. Transparency enables open discussion among all KCRCC members before decisions are made.

Transparency also builds trust. Candidates must present their backgrounds honestly and answer community questions. Strong candidates would embrace this, while others might raise concerns by staying guarded. The best candidates would succeed based on merit. Not for being in the right social circle.

Lack of openness has already suggested bias. Michael Angelitta printed his endorsement on his flyers before the KCRCC made the endorsement, demonstrating that the process was rigged in his favor. Meanwhile, good candidates like Mary Havercroft, Eve Knudtsen and Rick Durbin knew the fix was in and didn’t participate. Yet, they still received strong support.

Ultimately, transparency ensures fairness and aligns the KCRCC with voters’ values. The KCRCC should allow members to share their findings, fostering open discussion and better serving the community’s interests.

It’s time for change. A transparent process would let voters see which candidates are willing to be open. Let’s put everything on the table and let voters decide.

I did not give my permission to put my name on the postcard sent out by the KCRCC, as your precinct committeewoman. I told them at their rating and vetting meeting that we as committeemen need to endorse all the Republican candidates that won the primary and not to endorse non-partisan races. The KCRCC chose to endorse in non-partisan races anyways.

I received a phone call from one of my precinct voters today. I do not know this woman personally. She asked about the postcard that was sent out with my unauthorized name on it and if I truly endorsed the unaffiliated NIC and Kootenai Soil and Water that it suggested I endorsed. I said I DID NOT.

I don’t want to endorse in non-partisan races, but I have to correct this deceptive mailing. I support leaders who value transparency and accountability. I, Kellie Palm, endorse: Eve Knudtsen, Mary Havercroft, and Rick Durbin for NIC trustee. Vote for all three! For Kootenai Soil & Water I support Linda Ely, Wesley Evans, Walter Jon Groth and Laurin Scarcello. Vote for all four.

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Kellie Palm is a Republican precinct committeewoman.