Tulsa County GOP infighting continues

Should be an interesting convention

The current Chair of Republican Party of Tulsa County, Ronda V. Smith has officially attempted to remove her opponent in the upcoming election March 25. Her opponent, Ron Causby (Precinct 720015) is a properly elected Precinct Chairman, active grassroots conservative, podcaster with statewide Republican organizational campaign experience. The apparent cause of this dispute was a nonpartisan race for an Owasso School Board position in which Causby did not support Chair Smith’s selected candidate.

Of all the committees listed in Rules of the Oklahoma Republican Party, Precinct Committees are the first of ten in Rule 1 to be listed.

Rule 5(b) states: Authority and Duties: The Precinct Committee is the supreme Republican Party authority of each precinct, subject to these rules, and the direction and control of official precinct meetings. The Precinct Committee of each precinct is charged with the duty of promoting the welfare and directing the affairs of the Republican Party in its precinct. The Precinct Chairman shall be the executive officer of the precinct delegates to any county convention. The Precinct Chairman is not disqualified to be elected or appointed as a delegate pursuant to these rules. Only the Precinct Committee has the authority to remove any duly elected qualified delegate to the county convention.

The temptation to remove dissidents from family, civil, and political life is strong, especially in communist or other criminal organizations. Mafia bosses and dictators murder, but in societies with at least the pretense of democracy, subtlety is required – public accusations made, hearings held, and judgement rendered. Sometimes crowds or mobs are assembled to support the desired outcome.

The fondest dream of any American Political Party is to welcome all to full participation based on declared principles. Success is judged by increasing numbers of participants, diversity of skills and talents engaged, and functional effectiveness in process.

Rule 3(a) states: Members: All citizens of Oklahoma are invited to join the Oklahoma Republican Party to perpetuate this republic. All qualified voters of this state who are registered Republicans are members of the Oklahoma Republican Party and shall have the right to participate in the official affairs and governance of the Republican Party in accordance with these rules as set forth herein. Such right shall be sacred and inviolate, and the willful disregard or abridgement of such right by an officer or member of any committee of the Party shall be deemed sufficient cause for the removal of such officer or committee member. (Emphasis added)

Chair Smith here, by her notice, organization, and publication, puts herself and her selected Executive Committee mentioned at risk for removal. Of note, the County Executive Committee is not elected, but selected by the chair and vice chair after each County Convention. They are minions of leadership only called as leadership may direct. In fact, Chair Smith suspended such meetings at one point for many months. In a formal interview May 16, 2022 with this writer, Chair Smith said, she “ended regular Executive Committee meetings at the first of the year because everything I said kept getting out to other people when I had told them that what I told them was to be kept within the walls.” Thus, Executive Committee is a secret committee.

Request for comment by Chair Smith on this issue was made, but she did not return calls prior to publication.

Ronda V. Smith @ Tulsa GOP office. Photo David Arnett

Ronda V. Smith has announced her candidacy for reelection to Chair. Ron Causby has announced he will challenge her for that position. Obviously, politics of self-promotion is in play. Causby is a critic of Chair Smith and her many unprecedented operations of the County Party significantly taking sides in primary elections and discouraging Republicans to file for public office against selected candidates even before public filing begins.

Taking sides in primary elections divides rank-and-file members and thus reduces participation in general elections when all are needed. Fortunately, Causby and other precinct officials objected to the lawlessness Chair Ronda V. Smith was attempting.

In an exclusive interview, Jonathan Krems (Precinct 720217 Chair) Founding and Managing Attorney of Liberty Legal Solutions, LLC, said:

“In conservative circles, I am the attorney considered most knowledgeable about the State Party Rules, and it would be an injustice not to insert myself and volunteer assistance to Ron Causby’s campaign in handling this matter. I sent an email to Ronda V. Smith as Chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Party, stating that I would be representing Mr. Causby and attending with him the Executive Committee meeting on February 23rd to address the charges.  I also asked if the request for Causby’s removal was made in writing. I asked it to be provided along with any other evidence that would be presented against him at the hearing.  I asked once, then twice, and then I got an email from Ronda stating that the request had been withdrawn.  Mr. Causby and I will not be attending that meeting as there is now no reason for us to do so.”

Question: Do you have any details on who the accuser was in this dust up?

“We don’t know who the accuser was. There are some who believe it was Charity Marcus, who is running for State Vice Chair or it could have been Chair Ronda V. Smith herself although I don’t think it was Ronda. I think someone else did it with her knowledge.”

Question: With so little information, how do you read what has here transpired?

“The allegation was that Mr. Causby was in violation of Rule 19(g)(4) and there is now this threat that [leadership] is putting above any duly elected Precinct Chair or Vice-Chair, including myself, regarding this, that if they somehow endorse some [unfavored] candidate that they can be removed from being Precinct Chair or Precinct Vice-Chair, and that is not how the rules work.  Let me read to you Rule 19(g)

“Rule 19(g) Removal of Officers, Committee Members, and Delegates: Except as
otherwise specifically provided in these rules, any officer, committee member or delegate of any organization, committee, delegation, or unit of the Oklahoma Republican Party, may at any time be removed in the same manner and by the same power or authority by which one was appointed or elected.

“Any County Chairman or Vice Chairman, or any member of the State Committee, or any Congressional District Committee, may be removed at any time for cause by a majority vote of the entire existing membership of the County Committee of their County.

“The State Chairman, Vice Chairman, National Committeeman, or National Committeewoman may be removed at any time for cause by a majority vote of the entire existing membership of the State Committee.

“Causes for removal shall include but not be limited to the following and I will skip 1-3 to go to Rule 19(g)4 Publicly supporting or endorsing an opponent of candidates of the Republican Party. The next paragraph is very important as it says any such removals, except as to precinct officers as provided under Rule 5(f) and any removals authorized under Rule 6(f), may be ordered only after ten (10) days notice in writing has been given to the person charged, stating the cause and time and place of hearing thereon, and after the person has had the opportunity to present evidence, witnesses, and to be heard personally and by counsel.

“The way I read Rule 19(g)4 is that this rule does not apply to the chairman of a precinct in the Republican Party. What does apply is Rule 5(f) which allows a precinct chair to be removed but it is not the same thing. This is what Rule 5(f) says, if any Precinct Chairman shall die, move from the precinct, resign, or fail to function as determined by the County Executive Committee, or otherwise become disqualified, the Vice Chairman shall become Chairman until a Precinct Committee meeting can be held to elect a new Chairman. Then it goes on to talk about things that are not relevant to this.

The question is what is the ‘fail to function’ or not doing what the chair is supposed to do. Rule 5(b) says The Precinct Committee is the supreme Republican Party authority of each precinct, subject to these rules…

“You can’t use anything in Rule 19 and say Mr. Causby needs to be removed. To solely penalize him for exercising his First Amendment rights in a nonpartisan election doesn’t qualify.”

Question: Does Chair Smith’s action violate Rule 3(a)?

“Mr. Causby absolutely has a right to participate in party functions. He was duly elected at his precinct meeting. For the Executive Committee to step-in is a violation of Rule 3(a) and violates his First Amendment rights as well. There is a legal recourse if the Republican Party of Tulsa County is going to discriminate based on his First Amendment rights.”

Question: Is there any justification for the Executive Committee to even have a hearing?

“Given these facts, no. If this issue had continued, I would have more to say, but I can raise a concern that Chair Ronda V. Smith and those running with her assistance may continue attempts to limit grassroots conservative voices within the Party or in some way silence the grassroots. That is the important concern to me,” Krems concluded.

Last cycle’s Tulsa County Republican Convention coverage questioned the legitimacy of the elections held. Click the link below for more. It quotes eight attendees. In short, the accusation is that the convention was rigged to favor Ronda V. Smith.

GOP Turmoil in Tulsa; Invalid Leadership Vote?

This cycle, Republicans who have served in multiple roles including on the Convention Rules and the Credentials Committees have not been allowed to participate in those groups. While leadership has said committee membership was a “blind draw,” many currently doubt the veracity of leadership. Chair Smith has apparently named herself as Chair of Credentials. Organizational details have not been released to attendees as of this writing.

Identified as the longest running regular Tulsa GOP Convention attendee by former-Tulsa County Republican Chair Jerry Bucanan, this writer is amazed by the current tenor of the party. When Ronda V. Smith became active during the Tea Party movement (2010) her incorporated cult of personality, the Tulsa 9/12 Project, bitterly wailed about the “evil establishment” and accused others of scheming to limit conservative voices within the party. They have become worse than their most vicious past targets for damnation. As “the establishment” they are taking sides in primaries, running off potential candidates for public office, and trying to eliminate grassroots conservative critics.

Former Tulsa County Chair (2015) Mike Ford said, “The 9/12 group came in talking about ‘taking the party back’ before they even invested in the party with enough skin in the game to call it their party. It seems to me that 9/12 has been fixated on taking over the party for many years not helping grassroot Republicans grow broad participation. Today, participation has declined, internal conflicts have grown and Republican candidates find more success outside the party establishment than within.”

In the spirit of full disclosure, this writer will attend the Convention as a precinct official and thus voting member of the County Committee. An “after action” review will be posted. Should be an interesting convention.