Tension rises at Sedgwick GOP meeting; censure of council member looms
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Tempers flared at Thursday night's Sedgwick County Republican Party meeting, but no censure was announced against Wichita City Council Member Becky Tuttle.
The chairman of the Sedgwick County Republican Party says the motion to censure — a formal statement expressing the council's disapproval of a member's conduct — did not originate from the party leadership team. Instead, it came from someone who was an elected precinct person.
A resolution posted online says Tuttle did not uphold the core principles of the GOP when she voted in favor of the Transgender Day of Visibility Proclamation. It also discusses other votes she made, including adding the Crown Uptown to the historical registry, as well as using taxpayer money to install bathrooms in a city park and fund public art.
The motion claims that by doing that, she is not aligned with their traditional values.
Council Member Brandon Johnson, who is aligned with the Democratic party, took to Tuttle's defense on social media:
'Actions like the proposed censure of Council Member Tuttle continue to discourage thoughtful good people from running for office, regardless of party, because doing the right thing is hard enough without the misguided and sometimes hateful rhetoric or actions in this case, that come with it,' he said in part. 'My support for Becky is because Becky is a good human and tries to do what is right, even when it is hard.'
A precinct chair took to the microphone directly after it was announced there would be no discussion on the possibility of censuring Tuttle. He said he wanted his voice heard about the process before he was cut short.
Free coupon to dump large trash items
Joseph Texdozier is a Sedgwick County Republican Party precinct committeeman. His statement was cut short as the meeting was voted to adjourn after a tense back-and-forth. He says that after hearing last week, they would discuss the potential censure on Thursday night, he wanted to discuss the proper procedure.
'It's important to have a clear process in place to respect the duly elected responsibilities of precinct chairs in this county and our time,' Texdozier said.
John R. Whitmer, the chair of the SCRP, says that while that was the plan, he believes those in the party who brought the censure, along with Tuttle, should be the ones figuring out the next move.
'I think they were hoping to have the debate and the censure, or at least a discussion on it, but I really felt like that was premature, let's go ahead and have that conversation, and we can move beyond this,' Whitmer said.
He says the right move forward is to work together without censure for now.
'As a republican party, we need Becky Tuttle, we need her to work with the other republicans on the city council,' Whitmer said.
He also said that if a future censure were to be brought and voted through, it would mean a public statement disapproving of Tuttle's votes. He says there are no conditions on the conversations between Tuttle and those bringing the censure to continue the conversation.
KSN has reached out to Tuttle via email, text, and phone, but has yet to hear back.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
City council eyeing changes to Sioux City fireworks ordinance
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — During Monday night's city council meeting, the city of Sioux City approved the first reading of changes that may soon be coming to the city's fireworks ordinance. The change would have the city's ordinance line up with the state of Iowa code on fireworks, expanding the number of hours fireworks can legally be discharged in Sioux City. 'We went from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., basically they moved it up to 9 a.m. July 3rd and July 4th,' Sioux City Mayor Pro Tem Dan Moore said. 'So it's just complying with the state law.' The new state law will allow fireworks to go off between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. on July 3. Story continues below Top Story: 185th Air Refueling Wing welcomes new Commander with ceremony Lights & Sirens: Man denied new trial, sentenced for deadly rollover near Salix Sports: West Sioux boys soccer wins first-ever IHSAA State title with 2-1 OT win Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here If the day falls on a weekend, then additional nighttime hours may be added. Fireworks can be set off from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. on the Fourth of July On New Year's Eve into New Year's Day morning, fireworks may be set off from 9 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

an hour ago
GOP House Homeland chairman Green to retire from Congress early
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The House Homeland Security Committee's chairman, Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, announced Monday that he will retire from Congress once the House votes again on the sprawling tax and budget policy bill backed by President Donald Trump. In a statement, Green said he was offered a private sector opportunity that was 'that was too exciting to pass up' so he informed House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday of his retirement plans. The move comes more than a year after Green announced he wouldn't run again in 2024, but changed his mind when fellow Republicans implored him to stick around. Green's next election would have been in 2026. Green voted for Trump's sweeping legislation when it passed the House last month. The bill is now in the Senate's hands, and would need to return to the House for agreement on any changes. Trump wants the bill on his desk for his signature by July 4. Green's delayed departure could help with the GOP's narrow margins in the House. Republican leaders need every vote they can get on their big tax bill, which they managed to pass last month by a single vote and will have to pass again once changes are made in the Senate. They now have a 220-212 majority. 'It was the honor of a lifetime to represent the people of Tennessee in Congress," Green said. "They asked me to deliver on the conservative values and principles we all hold dear, and I did my level best to do so.' Green's seat will be decided in a special election. The timing will depend on when he leaves office. Ahead of his 2024 reelection, Green had announced that February 2024 he would not run again. The decision was revealed a day after the impeachment of then-President Joe Biden's Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. But many fellow Republicans had called on him to reconsider, and he jumped back into the running just two weeks later. He was unopposed in the Republican primary and then defeated Democrat Megan Barry — the former Nashville mayor who resigned in 2018 in scandal — by more than 21 percentage points in November 2024. Green, 60, has served since 2019 in the 7th Congressional District, which was redrawn in 2022 to include a significant portion of Nashville. The city was carved up three ways in the 2022 redistricting so Republicans could flip a Democratic district in Congress that had covered Music City, which they successfully did. Green previously served as an Army surgeon and in the state Senate and is from Montgomery County. Green flirted running for governor in 2017, but suspended his campaign after he was nominated by former President Donald Trump to become the Army secretary. He later withdrew his nomination due to criticism over his remarks about Muslims and LGBTQ+ Americans.

an hour ago
Trump heads to Fort Bragg while facing criticism for deploying military at Los Angeles protests
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump plans to speak at Fort Bragg on Tuesday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army as he deploys the military in an attempt to quiet immigration protests in Los Angeles. Fort Bragg, located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the Rangers are based there. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will also be at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Trump has promoted the Army's anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year. Trump, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines to quell disturbances that began as protests over immigration raids. Trump has authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city over the objections of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. About 700 Marines were also due to formally deploy to Los Angeles. California sued Trump over the deployment, with the state attorney general arguing that the president had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters' anger, leading crowds to block off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire. 'We're gonna have troops everywhere," Trump said over the weekend. 'We're not going to let this happen to our country.' Fort Bragg has been in the middle of a cultural tug-of-war over the military. It was named after a Confederate general, then renamed to Fort Liberty two years ago. Hegseth brought back the Bragg name, but said it was being used to honor an Army paratrooper who served in World War II.