by Don Barnett and Ira Weiss
If The Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP) succeeds in its plans, by the close of its next meeting it will have removed or otherwise run off the majority of its elected members. Of the 8 WCRP board members who were elected, 4 have resigned or been forced out since April 2021.
As planned, the last remaining conservative, First Vice Chair Sean Raesemann will be removed from office to be replaced by someone of the chairwoman’s own choosing. That someone will make it easier for the chair to run her own show. Considering what has already been achieved by this chair, it could be some show.
Unlike every prior WCRP chairperson in living memory, the current chairperson, Cheryl Brown, can sign checks against party funds. This not only flies in the face of precedent, but is an entirely inappropriate accounting practice for an organization that depends on donations from the public. Further, she can write checks for under $2,000 without even mentioning it to the board. Thus, we get a county chairperson with a personal security detail and the occasional use of a paid driver. The party paid a private security company, Pale Horse, $4,270 between 2020 and March 2022 according to the WCRP’s TN PAC report. The party voted itself top line insurance coverage for its officers with an annual cost of $8,600 – more than 10 times the cost of insurance plans used by neighboring county parties.
The PAC report shows checks written to individuals with no explanation of affiliation or the services or items purchased.
Individual Republicans who donated this money should be angry at the lack of transparency around how their money is spent. It will get worse if Mr. Raesemann is removed. For instance, this year the chair wanted to support the annual Juneteenth commemoration by purchasing a membership in an activist group. The party has supported Juneteenth in past years. But this time the recipient was to be an organization that was shown to have connections to BLM. That request needed to be stopped and it was thanks to Mr. Raesemann. Next time around there may not be anyone to question the absurd demand that the Republican Party support a BLM-affiliated outfit.
The current WCRP board insists on freezing out certain Republican candidates in discussion forums when it should be encouraging debate so that the electorate can make an informed choice. No wonder a range of conservative political groups has spontaneously grown up in Williamson County. The county party risks losing its relevance as a representative of conservative values. The way it handles its members’ contributions is appalling and needs to be investigated before it explodes into a scandal that embarrasses the entire state.
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Don Barnett is a retired IT professional and freelance writer living in Williamson County. Mr. Barnett is a former WCRP First Vice Chair. Ira Weiss is a retired security executive with 28 years of experience servicing U.S. government agencies, DoD, foreign governments, high-profile corporate, commercial and industrial clients, and property management companies. Certified Protection Professional (CPP-ASIS), Certified Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist (CMAS – ATAB), Analytical Risk Management Certified, NRA Certified Instructor, Jurisdictional Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Certified who migrated from the Washington, DC area.
Photo “Cheryl Brown” and Background Photo “Williamson County Republican Party Board Members Meeting” by Williamson County Republican Party.Â
