Leaders of the Park County Republican Party are sticking with controversial rules that say party officials can be removed from their posts if they miss too many meetings without providing notice. During the party’s Saturday convention at the Park County Fairgrounds, dozens of party members voted overwhelmingly to keep the provision in place — but only after a contentious debate that saw tempers flare.

At the outset of the all-day meeting, Park County GOP Chairman Martin Kimmet of Clark urged the 88 convention delegates to remain civil and stay focused on their broader aims.

“Our leadership in Washington and in other posts are trying to destroy this nation, and we should present a united front,” Kimmet said. “Whether we agree or we don’t agree on the issues, we’re all Republicans.”

In response, one member in the back of the room loudly muttered, “Are we?”

The fight over the bylaws has dovetailed with the battle between the more moderate and conservative factions of the Republican Party. There’s been friction between the groups as the party has moved further to the right in recent and become more assertive — including by taking action against elected precinct committeemen and women who don’t attend the county party’s monthly meetings.

At a meeting in late 2022, party members changed the bylaws to say that precinct committeemen or women are deemed to have vacated their seats if they miss three straight meetings without notifying the chairman or sending a proxy. Last August, the party voted to remove 22 committee members for repeated absences; the group included a number of prominent members of the GOP, such as former U.S. Sen. Al Simpson, former state Rep. Colin Simpson, Park County Commissioner Scott Steward and Powell Mayor John Wetzel.

Eighteen of the ousted members have formally objected to their removal. They contend that, under state law, a precinct person can only be removed in the event of their death, resignation or by moving out of their precinct.

The issue has been placed in the hands of the Wyoming Republican Party’s Dispute Resolution Committee, and the panel temporarily reinstated the ousted members in late January while it sorts through the legal issues.

By the Tribune’s count, seven of the reinstated precinct committee members attended Saturday’s convention.

One of those members, Colin Simpson, proposed that the county not rely on the Dispute Resolution Committee. Requiring party disputes to be handled within an internal committee “violates our very precepts of due process,” along with the U.S. Constitution and state law, he argued.

“We may not like it, but the Wyoming statutes control how you can be dismissed from your position,” Simpson said. “And it’s not by missing three consecutive meetings.”

However, Park County GOP State Committeeman Vince Vanata — who chairs the Dispute Resolution Committee — defended the current process. Without using names, Vanata said that two convention delegates — apparently Simpson and Precinct Committeeman David Hill — have a conflict or perceived conflict of interest; Vanata accused them of threatening legal action over the bylaws.

That drew an objection from Simpson, who suggested Vanata himself had a conflict as the chair of the committee; Vanata countered that he recused himself from the pending dispute related to the ousted precinct people.

Kimmet ultimately cut off the discussion, saying Vanata’s comments about a conflict of interest were “not germane” to the discussion about the bylaws. The chairman expressed concern that the remarks were divisive and would turn the discussion into “a personal battle.”

However, the body voted 47-24 to overrule Kimmet and allow Vanata to continue. 

Vanata went on to note that the Dispute Resolution Committee is still considering Park County’s issue, but Simpson interrupted to question the relevance, saying Vanata was “just rambling.” Simpson’s remark drew loud objections from the crowd.

As the debate continued, Precinct Committeeman Jim Vetter argued that private parties have the right to determine how they want to resolve disputes; he called the committee a reasonable way to avoid court battles.

“We look at what’s happening in Washington, D.C. with lawfare, how they’re going after President Trump … We’re basically weaponizing the legal system against people,” Vetter said.

Lawfare is “toxic,” he added. “It takes away our focus to have a party focused on positive things that build a party.”

Hill countered that the “stupid” bylaw on the Dispute Resolution Committee is “the type of pseudo lawfare that we are trying to avoid.”

“It’s taken away a process for people to seek redress as appropriate through the courts,” said Hill.

He also suggested a hypothetical situation where the party could change the bylaws to remove members for missing a single meeting or when they “give someone a dirty look.”

Several attendees loudly groaned or jeered that remark, drowning Hill out; he then dropped the microphone to his side, which caused it to generate screeching feedback.

A service dog was sitting near the speaker and Precinct Committeewoman Nicole Forsberg, who was leading the bylaw discussion, said “harming that animal is totally inappropriate.”

Hill responded that he wasn’t trying to bother the animal and only wanted “to make you guys listen, to stop interrupting me.”

Kimmet stepped in to warn the body to not speak unless recognized by the chair.

“If you do it again,” he told the group, “we will see about removal.”

Not long after that, the more than 70 delegates overwhelmingly rejected Simpson’s proposal to forgo the Dispute Resolution Committee.

Hill subsequently attempted to eliminate the language that allows a precinct committee person to be removed for missing three meetings without notice.

Precinct Committeewoman Barb Luthy joined Hill and Simpson in speaking in favor of the change.

“I do not feel that keeping track of absences is a conservative way to try and change the culture of a body. And it’s not effective,” Luthy said.

If people don’t show up for meetings and are removed, but then reelected in the next election, “it doesn’t change, really anything about the operation of this party,” she argued.

But several others spoke in support of the provision.

“I know of no employer who would allow an employee to not show up for three months without calling and him not assume that the guy’s left the job,” offered Robin Berry, to applause.

Vetter added that Republican voters “put a sacred trust in us to show up at these meetings.”

“When people don’t show up three, six, nine times in a row, they betray the most sacred thing we have, which is representative government,” he said.

In later debate, Kimmet said it’s incumbent on the elected precinct committeemen and women to show up.

“We’re not babysitters,” he said. “We’re not in kindergarten anymore.”

Vanata also noted that members can send a proxy in their place or can call, text or email to say they won’t be in attendance at a meeting.

With an overwhelming voice vote, the party left the rules in place. At that point in the afternoon, three of the ousted precinct committee members were in attendance.

The meeting ran from 9 a.m. to roughly 5 p.m. and also featured changes to the party’s platform, the adoption of a few dozen resolutions and the election of a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Those items will be covered in a future edition of the Tribune.

(Editor's note: The subheadline and lead have been updated to provide more clarity about by the bylaw.)