Although the Wyoming Republican Party has remained silent about a violent and obscene email sent by a Park County party official to a sitting Republican state senator, another county party chairman has spoken up against it.
Carbon County GOP Chairman Joey Correnti issued a statement on Tuesday condemning Park County precinct committeeman Troy Bray for the email he wrote to State Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, in which he suggested she kill herself.
Correnti stopped short of asking Bray to resign but did say he should consider stepping down in favor of someone who is “more prepared to respect the responsibility” of the position in the Park County Republican Party.
Stating that he had “grave concern” over the “vulgar content” of the email, Correnti said the message would not be tolerated by someone outside of the party, therefore it cannot be tolerated from within.
“It is most necessary to actively, immediately, and directly condemn it when it comes from within our own ranks,” Correnti wrote. “We, as a party, cannot stand on principle if those principles are not applied first and foremost within our own party and among our own membership.”
Correnti also took issue with how Bray signed the email. Although Bray said he sent it as a private citizen, he used his title as precinct committeeman.
“The fact that you applied the title and position as an elected representative of the people, whose voices you likely did not get a majority consensus from in order to apply your title to your shameful rant, is especially concerning as it violates the trust vested in you by the people as bearer of the title ‘Precinct Representative” of the Republican Party,” he said.
To date, Bray said he apologized to Nethercott but has declined to resign, stating that he refuses to “be bullied” by what he called “leftists” and “RINO class of scum.”
As it stands, there’s nothing the Republican Party can do to address Bray’s action outside of condemning it.
Last week, Park County GOP chair Martin Kimmet said he was powerless to remove Bray from his position but would welcome efforts by the Wyoming Legislature to provide a process to remove elected officials from office in the future.
Correnti echoed Kimmet’s request calling it an “absolute tragedy” that major political parties can’t “regulate themselves”.
“I personally urge the Wyoming Legislature to pass a bill … returning the internal operations of all political parties in Wyoming back to the membership of the private entitles that political parties actually are,” he said.
Correnti suggested a repeal of the state laws regulating how major political parties are operated.
State Senate President Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, and House Speaker Rep. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, signaled last week they would support efforts to develop “appropriate statutory means” to remove elected officials for behavior such as Bray’s.
