Latest news with #SedgwickCountyRepublicanParty
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wichita lawmaker to resign Kansas House seat next month, offers no explanation
Wichita Republican Patrick Penn plans to resign his seat in the Kansas House next month, filings with the secretary of state show. Penn gave no explanation for his abrupt departure in a letter to Secretary Scott Schwab dated May 14, saying his resignation will be effective at 7:06 p.m. on Friday, June 13. 'Whatever God has planned for me, our family's shared vision for a prosperous Kansas and our core values of Faith, Family, and Service will always travel with and guide me,' Penn wrote. 'I look forward to working with the next representative our great District chooses through the process and to remaining engaged in our community's future.' John Whitmer, chair of the Sedgwick County Republican Party, said he received a copy of the letter Wednesday evening. 'I would have to let you get with him to find out his specific reasons,' Whitmer said when asked Thursday if he had spoken with the third-term representative about his decision to leave office. Penn, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, won re-election in House District 85 last November by more than 1,800 votes over Democratic challenger Aonya Kendrick Barnett. District 85 includes part of northeast Wichita, parts of Kechi and Bel Aire and a small portion of western Butler County. Penn was raised in foster care. He went on to join the U.S. Army, serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring in 2017 as a captain. He was first elected to the Kansas House in 2020, ousting fellow Republican Michael Capps in the primary after Capps' role in a political smear campaign against then-Wichita mayoral candidate Brandon Whipple came to light. In Topeka, Penn chairs the House Legislative Modernization Committee and serves on committees dedicated to a number of other topics, including elections, commerce, IT, insurance, energy and rules and regulations. An ardent defender of President Donald Trump, Penn routinely ignored or criticized media outlets attempting to cover him. He stirred controversy in February when he joked on the House floor about firing a cannon at recently defeated former Hutchinson Democratic Rep. Jason Probst. 'He's been a solid conservative vote. I think he's represented his district well, and I'm sure the precinct people will elect a suitable replacement that will be a solid conservative,' Whitmer said. He has scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. May 28 where Republican precinct committee members in Penn's district will choose a successor to serve out the remaining year and a half of his term. Anyone who lives in the district will be eligible to run.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans are shocked(!) over fake ‘severed head' at Wichita anti-Trump protest
A Wichita protester waving an effigy of the severed head of Donald Trump has the local Republican Party leadership outraged. You're probably saying: So what? Those guys are always outraged about something — and usually, it's something inconsequential like a City Hall proclamation they disagree with. And you'd be right. But John Whitmer, the head, if you will, of the Sedgwick County Republican Party, took a picture of a guy at one of Wichita's regular street protests over the weekend, carrying what appears to be a Styrofoam wig head with a Trump mask stretched over it, and what looks like possibly cherry furniture stain dripping from its ear. I wasn't there, so I have no idea who this guy is or why he was doing what he was doing. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably some sort of silly homage to comedian Kathy Griffin, whose career was shut down by right-wing cancel culture after she displayed a similarly gruesome item on social media in 2017. If I had been there, I probably wouldn't have bothered to talk to him. Some random Joe carrying a fake severed head at a street protest doesn't exactly seem super-newsworthy, compared to say, the Trump administration cutting funding for adult advocates for children abused in the Kansas foster care system, which also happened last week. But you never can tell what will catch the public eye in year five of the Reign of Trump. Picture gets 300,000 views on X In the interest of 'I do this so you don't have to,' I took a dip into the cesspool of seething rage that used to be called Twitter before Elon Musk bought it and renamed it X. Whitmer posted his pic there and it's gotten him about 300,000 views. If that boosts traffic to Whitmer's right-wing talk show on KNSS, good for him. But Whitmer being Whitmer, he decided to call me out over this, personally and repeatedly. He started Sunday on his show's Facebook page: 'Dion Lefler, is THIS peaceful protest?' he asked. He followed up with Facebook comments on a story I posted Monday about the continuing controversy over Wichita City Council proclamations. The flap was sparked by the council approving a ceremonial proclamation honoring Transgender Day of Visibility, and it continues to be fueled by an ongoing and embarrassing effort by far-right Republicans to punish one of 'their' council members for voting for it. In the comments on my story, Whitmer reposted his picture of Severed Head Guy with the comment: 'Come on Dion, THIS should have been your story but instead you keep rehashing this nonsense?' Chiming in was Hunter Larkin, the on-again-off-again former mayor of Goddard and poster boy for corruption in local government: 'It's because Dion is one of those California liberals that hates America. It's that simple.' A Grand Old (pity) Party OK, kiddies. You serve, I'll volley. This may surprise you, but I have nothing to do with Severed Head Guy and I'm not a fan of protest by effigy, whoever's doing it. It doesn't convince anyone of anything, and only inspires nut jobs to do increasingly nutty things. The first thing this flap reminded me of was March of last year, when an official Republican Party fundraising event in Johnson County offered Republicans the chance to punch, hit and kick a martial arts mannequin with a Joe Biden mask and a 'Let's Go Brandon' T-shirt (if you don't know what that means, Google it). In the interest of civil discourse, it's worth noting that the keynoter for that event was Ted Nugent, whose most popular song since the '70s is a delightful ditty called 'F--- Joe Biden,' and who revived his flagging career via violent political rhetoric targeting Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and rank-and-file Democrats. When someone mentioned the Johnson County incident during Whitmer's GOP pity party, he decided to bear a little false witness against me. 'When they punched the Biden dummy,' Whitmer wrote, 'many in the GOP condemned them, including myself and Dion Lefler EVISCERATED them in the Wichita Eagle, this leftist carries around Trump's bloody severed head and nobody says a peep... #Hypocrites.' Meanwhile Dion Lefler (checks notes) didn't write anything about the Johnson County Republicans getting their jollies through simulated elder abuse. The Eagle ran two stories on the incident. ▪ The first one was a column by opinion correspondent Joel Mathis, before the event, questioning the party's judgment for even having a fundraiser featuring the 'Motor City Madman.' It noted that 'The Nuge' would be accompanied by disgraced and disbarred former Kansas attorney general Phill Kline, arguably the worst attorney general in Kansas history (although current AG Kris Kobach is doing his best to overtake him). ▪ The other was a short news story on the mannequin beating from our sister paper, the Kansas City Star, after the fact. No 'evisceration' of the GOP occurred, and we can safely put the story of Severed Head Guy in the ongoing Republican political file labeled 'We dish it out, but we can't take it.' It's become a big part of the Republican brand in the Age of Trump: Cheer on GOP celebrities who say and do the most outrageous things, then cry victimhood when some obscure member of the opposition responds in kind. To John Whitmer, Hunter Larkin, and anyone else clutching their pearls at this moment in time, I offer this advice: Get over yourself.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sedgwick County GOP cancels vote on Becky Tuttle censure over transgender proclamation
The Sedgwick County Republican Party scrapped its plans to censure Wichita City Council member Becky Tuttle for voting 'out of step' with the GOP. Around 100 local Republicans showed up to the party's monthly meeting Thursday night expecting to vote on whether to censure the council representative for east Wichita. Instead, Sedgwick County GOP Chairman John Whitmer announced that no vote on the censure would be held. About half of the room applauded the decision while others became visibly upset. A draft of the proposed censure obtained by The Eagle showed party officials planned to reprimand Tuttle for several votes over the past year where Tuttle voted with Democratic council members Maggie Ballard, Mike Hoheisel and Brandon Johnson. Those votes included a proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility, funding for public restrooms and public art, and nominating the Crown Uptown for placement on the local historic registry. 'The folks who were interested in pursuing that and Council member Tuttle have had conversations, which is probably where it should have started in the first place, and I'm encouraged that they have decided to work together and find a resolution,' Whitmer said. As several precinct committee members began talking over each other, demanding further explanation from Whitmer, Joseph 'Tex' Dozier stood in front of the crowd and attempted to debate the importance of censuring 'really questionable Republicans.' 'Let's give them a chance to see what they can accomplish when they meet together,' Whitmer said of Tuttle and the members who brought the motion forward. 'The best thing we can do at this point is let them work it out on their end.' Several dissenting members interrupted Whitmer, demanding that Dozier be allowed to speak. But former Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn moved to adjourn the meeting, a motion that passed. Dozier continued talking until he was interrupted by another party member. 'You're out of line,' GOP District 618 Committeeman Michael J. Sampson, of Wichita, said. 'Hush it! It's been shelved. Take it outside if you still want to talk about it.' Whitmer took the microphone from Dozier, and GOP treasurer and former Wichita council member Bryan Frye told everyone to clear the room. 'So much for transparency,' one committeeman said. Whitmer said in an interview after the meeting that party leadership placed no conditions on the conversation with Tuttle and is not making any demands of her. 'As a Republican Party, we need Becky Tuttle,' Whitmer said. 'We need her to work with the other Republicans on the city council and, frankly, to oppose the liberal Democrats on the city council. And we're not going to get that if we're not working together with her. And I hope the conversation is productive.' Because Tuttle is a nonpartisan officeholder, the censure would have been a largely symbolic move with no effect besides a public admonishment. Unlike state and county government seats — where the party gets to name a replacement if someone resigns or is removed from office — political parties have no claim over Wichita's city council seats. Political parties are not included on the ballot and, at the city level, district advisory boards hold the power to replace members if they resign or are removed from office. Whitmer said the party needs Tuttle on board with the party's platform to advance the party's agenda at City Hall. If Tuttle would decide to leave the party, only two out of seven seats would be held by Republicans — Dalton Glasscock and JV Johnston. He said he hopes Tuttle's conversations with committee members resolve the conflict. 'We want them to have an open — it's not even a negotiation. We want them to have an open conversation, and hopefully it's productive. Hopefully they get together and we can, you know, put this behind us. Look, they've got to hire a city manager. They've got a budget to deal with. And, frankly, as a Republican Party, we have one job: Beat Democrats. And I'd rather focus on that.' Tuttle did not attend the meeting. Glasscock, a GOP precinct committeeman who would have been eligible to vote on the censure, was also absent. A party member motioned to censure Tuttle at the March 20 monthly GOP meeting but had no written resolution prepared at the time, so the local party tabled discussion until Thursday night. The draft censure lists her vote for Transgender Visibility Day as the top reason for her censure. The draft says it was 'an action perceived by many within the party as inconsistent with the traditional values and platform upheld by the Sedgwick County Republican Party, thereby raising concerns about her commitment to representing the party's core constituency.' The censure also lists a vote Tuttle cast on April 1, two weeks after the original censure motion, to nominate the Crown Uptown Theatre to the city's register of historic places, a move aimed at saving the theater from possible demolition. Mike Brown, the Tulsa-based theater owner, has signaled he plans to tear down the building after the council refused to increase the theater's capacity from 860 to 2,066 – beyond what is allowed under the city's zoning fire codes. The local GOP said the vote was 'prioritizing government overreach over individual freedom.' Tuttle voted with Ballard, Hoheisel and Johnson while Glasscock, Johnston and Mayor Lily Wu voted against it. Ballard, Hoheisel and Johnson issued statements of support for Tuttle at Tuesday's council meeting while her other colleagues did not. 'I believe that every person from this bench has the ability to vote their conscience,' Glasscock said. 'They're elected by their individual constituencies; they're accountable to their constituencies. And I would say that for Councilman (sic) Tuttle, as well as every individual on this bench.' Wu, a registered Libertarian, changed the subject at Tuesday's meeting from Tuttle's censure to an abusive email she received from an unnamed source who called her transphobic and racist. Wu, who identified Tuttle and the three Democrats as the council members who voted for the Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation at a March council meeting, on Thursday declined to comment on the Republican Party's move to censure Tuttle. 'I'm not part of the GOP,' Wu said Thursday morning. 'I have no comment.' Asked her thoughts on her fellow council members issuing statements of support, she said, 'I have no comments regarding that.'
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
