By the time you read this letter to the editor the filing deadline of March 31 will have passed for filing for the Osage County Central Republican Committee with 12 brave Republicans having filed for that office. It’s a 12-member board.
Being on the county’s Republican central committee wasn’t something most people even thought about doing. There is no pay for the job. There are no public accolades for doing the work, but yet, it has a very important function that most people forget about. The committee is an official, public, local governing body that is responsible for building party infrastructure and electing GOP candidates and coordinates campaign activities at the county level.
The committee also generally works on candidate support and recruitment, voter registration and increasing Republican voter turnout.
But we, as Osage Countians, haven’t seen very much of that work lately, All we have seen is a group of four people, Linda Rantz, Craig Rantz, George Luebbering and Joyce Weber, telling us that we have to take a written nine-page, single-spaced test that they use to determine if you are a Republican or not. It’s not enough that you think and feel like you are a Republican, you must prove it to them in writing. Instead of recruiting candidates these four people are running them off.
We, as citizens, cannot see the committee’s bylaws, meeting minutes, financial reports or attend their meetings. “The business meetings are private,” said committee chairman Linda Rantz. You can only see the bylaws if you are a member of the committee, she said.
Having already filed for a committee seat are: Delores Wieberg and Charles Schroeder from Jackson Township; Jerry Voss and Gene Lange from Crawford Township; Mary Zeilman and Ed DeOrnellis from Linn Township; Paul Stratman, Larry Kliethermes and Ann Stratman from Washington Township; Ralph Kliethermes and Kathy Speichinger from Jefferson Township and Mark Mehmert from Benton Township.
Running for countywide public office this year is Darryl Griffin for Presiding Commissioner, Amanda Grellner for Prosecuting Attorney, Sonya Brandt for Associate Circuit Court Judge, Mary Ann Jacquin for Circuit Clerk, Carrie Muenks for Recorder of Deeds, Brooke Dudenhoeffer for County Clerk and Denise Nolte for Collector. They have all refused to take the vetting test.
Valerie Prater, who is running for Treasurer, took the vetting test before the conflict over vetting came up and John Glavin, who is also running for presiding commissioner took the vetting test recently.
Jerry Voss
