JEFFERSONVILLE —
Following a disagreement in the last few weeks, Clark County Republican Party Chairman Jamey Noel has decided he would seat local Tea Party affiliated delegates at the Indiana Republican Party Convention.
Kelly Khuri, Teresa Ballew and Lynn Rhodea were among the delegates in question, according to Noel, though there was confusion among others as well. The chairman contends the disagreement never had anything to do with the delegates’ association with the Tea Party, but rather about late registration fees.
“I firmly support the Tea Party,” he said. “Bottom line, they didn’t pay their delegate fees in a timely manner.”
Primary voters picked Clark County’s 33 Republican delegates May 8. Noel posted a notice on the door of Clark County Republican Party Headquarters informing delegates that their $80 fee was due by May 11.
Khuri, a candidate for an at-large seat on the Clark County Council in November, said she didn’t see the notice because she’d been asked to avoid GOP headquarters months before.
“I don’t go near there,” Khuri said. “I was told to stay away.”
She didn’t get in touch with Noel until after May 11, though she did pay the fee via the Paypal button on Clark County’s GOP website. He refunded the Paypal money shortly afterward, indicating he may not seat them, thus sparking the latest wrangle.
“I’ve always butted heads with them,” Khuri said.
The relationship between Khuri and party leaders soured after she became president of the Clark County Republican Women’s Club. Khuri said she and Noel clashed after she campaigned for candidates on the club’s behalf before the primary — including Tea Party favorite Rep. Todd Young. Young first took on former congressman Mike Sodrel, a Republican, in the 2010 primary.
She also supported a non-Republican candidate — Libertarian Bob Isgrigg — in the 2010 county surveyor’s race against Democrat David Blankenbeker. There was no Republican in that race.
According to Khuri, the two instances above were cited when members of the Republican Women’s Club voted her out in what she refers to as a coup.
Noel confirmed Khuri’s support of a non-Republican candidate was among the reasons members rejected her. However, he said there were other issues which led to her ouster, mentioning threats made by Khuri.
Khuri did not return a follow-up call or email seeking comment.
Noel said Khuri has tried to frame it as a clash between the Republican Central Committee and the Tea Party, but that isn’t the case in his estimation.
“I’m an avid supporter of the Tea Party,” he said, calling himself a very conservative Republican.
DELEGATE FEES
In the past, Republican Party leaders have contacted delegates in regards to how much they owe and when it was due, according to Bill Atkins, who’s been a Republican delegate at state party conventions five times since 1988.
“How would people know when you run for the first time — you wouldn’t know,” he said. “It just seems like this would be proper.”
Most of the interviews for this story took place Tuesday. Noel sent an email to a reporter at the News and Tribune on Thursday morning saying he and Khuri had spoken and he’s decided to seat the disputed delegates because a prolonged disagreement was not good for the party in the long run.
The Indiana Republican State Convention is June 8 and June 9 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
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