Questions asked about 2025 JoCo GOP election, conduct

Questions about a March 2025 meeting and officer elections for the Johnson County Republican Party are now going to the state, as well as other concerns about the party's recent conduct. The meeting question was brought up at the party's Jan. 22 meeting, one of the latest of a series of questions being asked of the county's GOP leadership. In the State of Tennessee, party registration is declared at a primary, so there are no exact stats on how many Republicans are in Johnson County. In the 2024 Election, top-of-the-ticket Republicans consistently got around 85% of the 7,000 to 8,000 Johnson County votes cast, mirroring local estimates on the number of GOPers. Was the reorganization meeting properly noticed? According to the Tennessee Republican Party bylaws, every odd-numbered year, each county Republican Party "shall reorganize itself in accordance with procedures set forth in the Rules accompanying these Bylaws, and in accordance with the County Party's Bylaws and applicable Rules." According to self-described Constitutional Republican Chad Greever, fellow Republicans at the Jan. 22 meeting claimed no such vote happened or was even promoted, while the county executive committee claimed to the audience it did. Per the state bylaws, Greever pointed out, county reorganizations need to be advertised "on all of the county party's websites and social media accounts," including details on date, time and locations, contact phone number and email of the chairman, how to pre-register, how to run for chairman and qualifications. There is no record of the reorganization meeting notice being in The Tomahawk. Reorganization notices were in The Tomahawk for the 2025 Johnson County Democratic Party, as well as from both major parties in 2023. Greever provided The Tomahawk with an email exchange he had with Anita Hodges-Taylor, State Executive Committee member for District 3 for the Tennessee Republican Party. In the email, Hodges-Taylor wrote that the correct date for the 2025 Johnson County Republican Party Reorganization meeting was March 27 at the Johnson County Public Library. Hodges-Taylor said she gave the oath of office to newly elected members that night. Hodges-Taylor confirmed these facts to The Tomahawk, saying she got there "a short time before the meeting began" but did not see the voting results. She estimates the crowd was around 35-40 people. The Johnson County Republican Party's website, www.johnsoncotngop.org, is no longer active. Using the Wayback Machine, a website that provides captures of how websites used to look, no notice of the reorganization meeting appeared on the county's website. According to website screenshots from early March 2025, the website said the party meets on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Johnson County Public Library, but there was no notice of any reorganization meeting. Searches of both Facebook pages used by the party (they changed Facebook pages in 2025) yielded no promotion of the March 2025 reorganization meeting. On the phone, Johnson County Librarian Linda Icenhour said that in 2025, the Johnson County Republican Party always scheduled their meetings on the fourth or last Thursday of the month, which would have been March 27 in 2025. Icenhour said she did not take part in the GOP meetings and that the library had thrown away their 2025 calendar, so she could not recall for certain if the meeting happened. The Johnson County Republican Party now meets at Doe Valley Farms. According to the Tennessee Republican Party's website, the 2025 Johnson County Republican Party Reorganization was to take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 29, at Boone's Creek Elementary School in Johnson City, Washington County. This is also the same time as the 2025 Washington County Republican Party reorganization. The only difference between the two on the Tennessee Republican Party's website is that the Johnson County GOP meeting was to be at Boone's Creek Elementary and the Washington County GOP meeting was at Boone's Creek Middle School. There is no Boone's Creek Middle School, as Boone's Creek Elementary is a PreK-8th-grade school. Questions to the Washington County Republican Party and its chair were not returned by press time. When asked Friday about the website discrepancy, Tennessee Republican Party Chair Scott Golden said it must be a cache. A search of all posted 2025 county reorganization locations on the Tennessee Republican Party's website found that every location was within its own county, except for Johnson County. As of press time, that webpage is still live. In the end, Greever said he wants to make sure the rules were followed and if not, hopes the state steps in and rectifies it. Golden said the state bylaws have an appeals process immediately afterward that goes five or ten days, and that the state party received no complaints from Johnson County. Golden dismissed the concerns of the 2025 reorganization meeting being brought up 10 months later. "If anybody wanted to challenge the validity of the reorganization, they could have done so then," Golden said, earlier saying he's sure all Tennessee Republican Party members are familiar with the timetable for appeals. Dandurand responds The Johnson County Republican Party Chair is Randy Dandurand, who was first elected in 2023. When contacted by The Tomahawk to offer comment on specific questions regarding the 2025 reorganization, Dandurand sent a letter Jan. 29, saying they are "aware of the formal complaint submitted" by Greever. "We respect Mr. Greever's right to raise concerns and fully support the (Tennessee Republican Party's) internal review process," Dandurand wrote. "The (Johnson County Republican Party) awaits the formal response and determination from the State Executive Committee (of the Tennessee Republican Party) on this matter. We are committed to cooperating fully and abiding by their guidance to ensure all procedures align with the (Tennessee Republican Party) bylaws." Dandurand goes on to say the reorganization "followed established protocols, including efforts to notify The Tomahawk via text, as is customary in our county, and an open call for volunteers to fill vacant roles at the open meeting of the Johnson County Republican Party prior to the County Executive Committee meeting." The Tomahawk did not receive any text about the 2025 reorganization meeting for the Johnson County Republican Party. In a follow-up response when asked about when this text was sent, Dandurand says he sent a text on Feb. 20, 2025, about the monthly Feb. 27, 2025 meeting. This was the month before the reorganization meeting. "We anticipated publication in the Tomahawk, but it did not occur," Dandurand claimed. However, the notice for the Feb. 27 meeting, which included guest speakers Damascus (Va.) Mayor Katie Lamb, Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby and talk about Helene relief, did run in the Feb. 26 Community Calendar of The Tomahawk. Later in his letter, Dandurand stated no objections were raised "contemporaneously or in the weeks after," and that the Tennessee Republican Party certified the 2025 Johnson County Reorganization, affirming its validity. In further correspondence, Dandurand directed further questions to Golden. "Chaos" at GOP meetings Dandurand ended his letter saying their focus remains on uniting Johnson County Republicans, and appreciated the community's interest in local party matters and welcomes constructive dialogue. In fact, the Johnson County Republican Party has been divided ever since the infamous County Powers Act and moratorium votes in August and September 2025. Both came as the county wrestled with how to defend itself against Bitcoin or data mining. In the August meeting of the Johnson County Commissioners, Dandurand, who has already called for a 2026 primary of county-wide seats, a first in over 30 years, said if commissioners didn't vote in favor of the County Powers Act, "we're going to run against you and get you out of office," claiming those in favor would want sex clubs and Bitcoin in Johnson County. Dandurand also said the party would support candidates who voted in favor. The County Powers Act vote, needing two-thirds of the 13 present commissioners to pass per state statute, failed in a 7-6 vote. After that August meeting adjourned, Dandurand and others approached the commissioners and began heated discussions that continued into the parking lot. The following month, the 14 present commissioners voted 8-6 for a cryptocurrency and data mining moratorium, which failed because it needed a two-thirds majority to pass. This has led to contentious monthly county Republican Party meetings, Greever said, including the one on Jan. 22, which Greever said "descended into chaos" as the county executive committee and local Republicans bantered back and forth about the state of the party, the 2025 reorganization meeting and claims of leadership endorsing certain candidates. Greever, in various emails he has sent to Tennessee Republican Party officials and Congressional officials asking them to look into the matter, notes times when he heard prospective candidates being endorsed by county leadership team members. Tennessee Republican Party bylaws restrict endorsements in a Republican primary, saying "Neither the (Republican State Executive Committee of Tennessee ) as a body, nor the Officers, nor the (Tennessee Republican Party's) paid staff members, nor a County Republican Party or (County Executive Committee) as a body, nor County Republican Party Chairmen shall endorse a Republican candidate in a contested primary election." Golden said state GOP bylaws prohibit a county chair from endorsing candidates, regardless of the petition and filing period. Golden added that it's OK for non-chair county leadership team members to do so, unless prohibited by county-level bylaws. Golden later said he's heard no complaints from Johnson County. The petition and filing period for the 2026 elections began in December 2025 and runs through Feb. 19. Greever said he wishes the county executive committee would embrace the viewpoints of more "lifelong residents," along with the transplants. He hopes the party can have constructive dialogue and iron out the issues.