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Public commenter alleges commissioners conspired in local Republican dispute; commissioners deny taking sides
Summary
During public comment Mary Ann Schmidt accused Commissioner Rittenhouse and county counsel Beau Thompson of testifying on the state level on behalf of the commission without authorization and alleged conspiratorial interference in local Republican Party affairs; commissioners said they had not taken a side and noted county limits on record creation.
Mary Ann Schmidt used the public comment time to allege that Commissioner Sasha L. Rittenhouse and county counsel Beau Thompson "testified to the state’s General Government Committee without authorization and vote of the county commission, but did so representing the will of the commission," and accused them of participating in a "concerted conspiratorial actions" to interfere with the Clark County Republican Party’s internal procedures.
Commission President Sasha L. Rittenhouse interrupted to note Schmidt's three minutes had expired and responded that the commissioners had not "picked a side" and had only asked for a resolution of the dispute so county business could continue. County counsel Beau Thompson said he had "no responsive records" to the specific records request last week and that the county has no legal duty to create a record that does not exist, but that he would look into the request. Commissioner Lohnes noted that Rittenhouse is an elected commissioner and does not need permission to testify when asked. The exchange ended with the board reiterating procedural limits and the county's record responsibilities.
