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Resident accuses commissioner and county counsel of conspiracy; commissioners deny picking a side
Summary
During public comment at the Clark County commissioners’ meeting, a resident alleged that Commissioner Sasha Rittenhouse and county legal counsel Beau Thompson conspired against the local Republican Party; Commissioners and counsel denied the allegation and said no written direction or county vote authorized such actions.
Mary Ann Schmidt, a Springfield Township resident, used her public-comment time at the Clark County commissioners’ meeting on Jan. 21 to make a long, detailed accusation that Commissioner Sasha L. Rittenhouse and Chief Legal Counsel Beau Thompson had testified and acted on behalf of a faction she calls a rival Clark County Republican Party, and that their actions amounted to a plot to "overthrow the lawful Clark County Republican Party." She asked the county to provide "written proof and certified minutes under penalty of perjury" showing any official commission vote authorizing such actions.
Commissioner Rittenhouse responded during the public-comment period, saying the board had "not picked a side" and that commissioners had only asked state officials to resolve an internal party dispute so the county could move on. "Everything has been factual based," she said, adding that the county commissioners do not vote to decide which party organization is legitimate.
Beau Thompson told the meeting he "did not receive any direction in writing" and noted the county had found no responsive records to Ms. Schmidt’s public-records request the previous week. Commissioner Charles A. Patterson added that if a document does not exist the county is not required to create one.
The exchange followed extended staff briefings and agenda items; the board did not take any formal vote related to the allegations at the meeting. The commissioners later entered an executive session on unrelated confidential security matters. The public comment and the commissioners’ responses were recorded in the official minutes.
What happens next: Ms. Schmidt requested certified documentation of any vote or record; county staff said they would look into the request and respond. The county’s legal counsel affirmed he had no written direction to act on the matter and the county clerk’s office reported no responsive records at the time of the initial request.
