OPINION: Free speech at the KCRCC? Not so much.

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) met last March 25. I was there as the Precinct Committeeman for Precinct 407, which includes most of Coeur d’Alene. Many folks may know there was a recent Legislative Town Hall meeting that erupted in shouting, unruly behavior and the physical removal of a loud, disruptive woman. They may also know our county sheriff was present at the town hall in plainclothes, along with security men lacking the legally required visible ID. Together, they forcefully and awkwardly removed the uncooperative woman.  

Videos and photos of the interaction quickly spread across the state, country and even across the world via news outlets and social media. They did not make our town look good. 

So we all knew, as we gathered for our monthly KCRCC meeting, that this situation would be a hot topic. Rumors of lawsuits have been swirling as both sides gather information and funding. Some say the agitator(s) got what they deserved, and others say the removal should have been handled differently. Some say it was a private event, and others say it was not because it was held at a public school and was advertised to the whole community. 

It was under this cloud of uncertainty that we, as members of the KCRCC, reviewed a Resolution on free speech which was presented to the committee.  

I will interject here that a Resolution is like a strongly worded letter; it has no force of law. The KCRCC free speech Resolution contained a number of problematic elements some members think could trigger legal action or give more fuel to developing lawsuits. So, because this whole situation is unsettled, there was a motion made to postpone the Resolution until the April meeting. 

I was among the several members who stood in support of this motion to postpone for one month. Many of these members have legal background, or have served on city councils, city administrations or our state Legislature. All are committed Republicans. 

There was a roll call vote for this motion to postpone the Resolution. Individual votes were recorded by the secretary. I voted to hold the Resolution to April so we, as a committee, would know what legal issues were in play. The motion failed. 

At this point in the meeting, after I had been there for more than three hours, it was clear that hashing over of details in the Resolution would still continue for a long time, ending with an inevitable vote in favor. I had already made my opinion clear and I left the meeting. 

Now, I see someone from the KCRCC has posted the final votes on the Resolution on social media, and by my name it says in capital letters, “LEFT BEFORE THE VOTE.”

So the question I was asked today by one community person was: Does the KCRCC publicly post the votes on every issue? Or do they only post them to besmirch people who don’t agree with them? 

The answer, sadly, is NO and YES. No they don’t post all the votes, but Yes, they take every opportunity to make dissenters look bad. Free speech? Not so much.

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Mary Souza represented Coeur d’Alene in the Idaho Senate for eight years, retiring in 2022.