Despite not having the authority under SDGOP bylaws to do so, the vice chair of the Minnehaha County Republican Central Committee has declared tonight that they have ousted the chairman of the county party.
Because people don’t think the group is clownish enough after 2 years of R. Shawn Tornow?:
Dear Minnehaha Republican Central Committee,
Thank you all for attending our special meeting on October 27. The official quorum was met. Your voices were heard, your votes were counted and your input played a vital role in shaping the outcome. Together, we addressed our challenges and reached a thoughtful conclusion that will strengthen the health and integrity of our organization.
Included in this correspondence is the official censure of Chairman Petterson. As a result of this action, the Minnehaha County Central Committee has voted to remove Chairman Petterson from his position, effective immediately. In accordance with our bylaws, Vice Chairman Symens will assume the role of Chair.
As we move forward, we are committed to operating with full transparency, mutual respect, and a shared dedication to the continued success of Minnehaha County Republicans.
Please keep watch for an email in the future, setting a date for elections of open positions within the Executive Board.
Thank you again for your engagement and commitment to our mission.
Sincerely,
Minnehaha County Executive Board
And you can read the censure document here.
This is SO embarrassing.
what’s baffling is their sense of self-importance, a characteristic of people who will always be high school class officers at heart.
They are oblivious to their own irrelevance.
The Minnehaha County GOP has to waste so much time on fending off this BS and not on real work.
What happened yesterday evening sounds like some half thought-out Antifa shenanigan, thinking they’re the heroes while actually acting like spoiled children who don’t get their way so they make a mess out of the whole process.
You’re not the heroes, you’re a distraction. Stop being part of the problem!
GOPers always have to bring in the Demos or Antifa or ?? to cloud up the situation Just admit the GOP is not so grand and you keep pooping in your own bed
🍿
The self-proclaimed “election integrity” crew staging a leadership coup without following bylaws is peak comedy.
So now Marsha is not just the Mayor of Whoville (Dell Rapids) but also the suddenly installed Minnehaha GOP Chair?
What a resume…
when you can’t govern one community well, you just collect another title and hope nobody notices the wreckage behind you.
And BridgeOut? For someone whose entire profession is helping people relax, she somehow manages to be the single most chaotic, wound-up source of drama in every room she enters. Same seat, same theatrics — just now emotionally zip-tied to the newest chair-by-ambush like it’s her emotional support coup.
These two spent MONTHS preaching process, transparency, rules, and “doing things the right way”…
Then the moment there’s a whiff of power?
Bylaws get torched, the meeting goes dark, procedure evaporates — and suddenly a bingo-hall mutiny counts as an election.
And honestly? If I were Jim (state GOP chair), I’d be coming down hard on the regional director for letting this circus happen.
But the regional director is Tom — who basically rolled out a red carpet, handed them a microphone, and played emcee for Dysfunction Fest.
This wasn’t leadership.
This was community theater with delusions of relevance.
And since Marsha is now crowning herself Queen of Whoville — are we really pretending the same people who staged this little Dr. Seuss coup are the ones who should be anywhere near a governor’s office?
Maybe everyone’s favorite Who from Whoville, Jon Hansen, can cover that at his next “RINOs at the Ranch” night — right after he finishes lecturing everybody else about “integrity
You should seriously consider writing as a professional career (no joking). That was an interesting read. Not being in-the-know though, I had to wonder how much was factual vs fictional or satire. Especially your last sentence but also ‘should be anywhere near a governor’s office’ What does that mean?
Regardless, this is a sad state of affairs and I’m baffled by what a State GOP chair that has been a Democrat for years would even know what to do in this situation.
Help me understand the above. Thank you!
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse…
Thanks for the question and honestly, from the outside this probably does not look like a normal county scuffle. It isn’t.
Marsha isn’t just some random county activist — she’s the Mayor of Dell Rapids which I like to call the Whos from Whoville, which is Jon Hansen’s hometown. Jon is now running for governor, and Tom (who helped this along) is Jon’s seatmate in the Legislature. BridgeOut and Jennifer Foss are basically Tom’s hype squad — the cheer section for the takeover.
And yes — Jon really does hold fundraising events for his governor’s race at Pizza Ranch, as if the Boy Scouts and local church youth group should just politely relocate so the “Holier Than Thou PAC” can run spiritual campaigning between the mashed potatoes and the dessert pizza.
It is less Republican Party and more small-town Game of Thrones, but with a soft-serve machine and a devotional reading.
That’s why I said, “should these people be anywhere near a governor’s office?”
Because if this is how they stage a county coup, I can’t wait to see what happens when they get access to statewide levers and an AV budget.
They talk like revival preachers…
but operate like HOA warlords.
This wasn’t a party leadership change — it was a loyalty install for Jon’s governor campaign.
100%
Hansen used the Life Defense Fund to the same purpose, advancing his own career..There’s no integrity there, just narcissism.
Symens lied when she said she was going to seek re-election to the Senate, and then dropped out at the last minute so Pischke, who had openly circulated petitions for House but was covertly circulating petitions for the Senate, could slip in. There’s no integrity there, either.
We need to be friends.
i didn’t know we were having a meeting until I read it on here.
Earlier this summer, the state chair told us we couldn’t remove officers, but apparently it’s ok now? Or just in this case?
It’s still not okay. These malcontents think if they say it loudly enough and declare it’s official, everyone will just believe it is.
Exactly why I stood up at the last state central meeting to vote no, county party’s need to fix their own problems
Question: Did they hold a vote? Did they have a quorum/majority? Should that tell ‘us’ something, if they did?
Well they were given a chance but this dysfunction proves we need a new way to nominate state wide candidates. Such an embarrassment. They did this to themselves. Bring the bill!
The precinct committeemen and women process of nominating and electing statewide officials works great. This is the beauty of the American system, in order to maintain low election costs, campaign costs, we invented a system where we hold a state convention where each of the counties (precincts) are represented equally to nominate and vote to choose our candidates. Article 27 best explains the process to create the state government, to placing in place a temporary provisional government, to restructure our government, to holding further, a convention to nominate all the future at-large statewide officials that are chosen by the counties equally, with the person getting the most votes based on representatives of each and every precinct. This is what it means to be a true republic. It also allows for, a small minority of people to stage these types of events, but it also allows for the means necessary to remove these troublemakers as well. Do not fault the process, fault the mindset of a select few who try to circumvent the process. The Marsha, Bridget, Tom Pishcke led faction are mad, cause they have lost the majority support within their county, so they attempt this small chaotic-drama led game to try to get their way. They know the meeting was improperly held, they knew they had to convince the chair to set a time, place, and manner of holding the meeting, and they knew the chairman had to delegate to the vice-chair to lead the meeting in his absense. None of this happened, so this small group now risks being expelled from the group in future meetings.
Nope I’m over it burn it down.
Anyone who was there and willing to provide a list of the committeemen/women who were in support of this would be greatly beneficial.
I think Marsha Symens should provide the list. How else can we verify her claim that a quorum was present?
I heard, they had maybe 27 people show up to have this so-called special meeting.
Marsha Symens, Bridget Boyden-Meyers, Tom Piscke, Gary Myers, Cindy Myers, Stepanie Wollman, Leah Anderson, Penny Baybridge, Jennifer Foss, to name a few, to name nearly half of them in attendance.
Gary Myers is not an elected precinct member; Stephanie does not live in her precinct (commercial address). So I doubt they even had a quorum.
If two people that voted for this are not elected precinct members and/or do not live in the precinct in which they are elected; then the entire vote in void and must be sent for official review.
There are policies and procedures in place to void this vote, immediately. It honestly just takes people who are willing to go up against the group who did the coup, to void it.
It’s not hard to do. I would say review the official meeting minutes but then again, those will be altered as well (which is illegal). Leah Anderson will make damn sure of that!
This is just one group fighting another for what??There’s no reason to do this unless they are wanting chaos to stop forward movement. It’s not helpful at all. Is Marsha and Bridget that short sided to undermine and throw bylaws to the curb to get their own way? Apparently yes they are. They had a good opportunity to do something instead they are throwing it away. The people that support this should really look at themselves and ask am I helping or am I being used. We need people that will set aside differences to work together. The people needed for this are ones saying how can I help not what’s in it for me. Honestly this causes people to run away.
The county GOP situation is a joke all the way around. There are no enforced checks and balances to show that theyre even hosting meetings or sending out notices. All votes should be put to a statewide primary. We are ensuring that we primary the worst candidates. The statewide convention was filled with the worst of the worst. It’s become overrun with recruits new to the state being trafficked to vote by whoever recruited them for some jagoff who could never earn the trust of the people. The SDGOP doesn’t represent South Dakota, it represents that two-dozen useful idiots that make politics their hobby instead of something sacred to be stewarded on to the next responsible generation and will sink with them as it has been– sinking.
It’s getting to be about time that everyone over the age of 50 take one big step OUT of our way. Your generation knows NOTHING of online censorship, nothing of AI, nothing of election systems, and unlike us you don’t have any PRINICPLES outside of your fanaticism for religion.
You heroic Nonce De Leons can’t even tackle the problem of spam calls! You are all intellectually expired and standing in the way of progress for your own selfish desires. We are all just waiting for you grubby power-hungry diluted old hypocrites to simply… get out of our way. THE CHARLIE KIRK GENERATION IS HERE AND WE DON’T NEED– WE DON’T EVEN WANT THE GOP.
Hope you have the dollars
Another disturbing detail in this whole mess is Leah Anderson, Minnehaha County Auditor, who ran her campaign on promises of transparency, election integrity and party unity is right smack dab in the middle of this coup. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if she signed off on the removal of the Chair in her official capacity as Auditor. Stay in your lane Leah!
Ah yes, here we go again with people who cant follow the rules. Jon Hansen and Tom Pischke were 100% behind this coup. As far as Leah Anderson, yes, she was also the driving force behind this coup. She cannot use her official capacity to meddle in this, if such violation has occurred, a complete audit of official communications from the County Auditor should be done.
Exactly, you know there was maybe 25-27 people in the attendance, and to name a few, Marsha Symens, Bridget Boyden-Meyers, Tom Piscke, Gary Myers, Cindy Myers, Stepanie Wollman, Leah Anderson, Penny Baybridge, Jennifer Foss so that practically makes up 50% of the attendance. This is all about using the county funds to give to Jon Hansen-Karla Lems. As one of the members who did not show up, I refused to participate in this drama, these 10 people have been the loudest in wanting to control the campaign funds raised by the county. They were upset when we did not donate to their favorites last year, and they are mad again this year. They are loudmouth Hillbillies.
I’m curious if the SDGOP Chair will get involved in this and void the removal. Or will we cower to the Minnehaha GOP “Elites”? Never the less, the ousted Chair of the Minnehaha GOP should immediately get his ducks in a row and request an audit of Leah Andersons full and complete official communications, along with appealing the “removal” to the state party. WE look like absolute fools because a small group doesn’t get their way every time. This type of behavior and actions reflect on the views of the voters in every single precinct in Minnehaha County.
We must, as a party, and as humans; come together. Being divided as a party right now benefits no one. I’m ashamed today to be a member of this party, especially locally.
Their meeting was invalid. Chairman Petterson put out notice before the meeting even took place letting people know it was invalid. Korry was, is, and will continue to be the Minnehaha GOP Chair.
Reality check. People who say they’re on the right but parrot all the leftist talking points and create divisions within the party, probably aren’t conservatives.
Under no circumstances should party funds be used to advance one candidate over the others in a primary. That was always understood, that party funds are to promote our candidates in the general election. The prohibition of such contributions will have to be added to the bylaws now.
I am reminded of the 2020 state convention and only Dave Roetman showed up to represent Minnehaha County, at the main gathering in Sioux Falls. Fancy that: we held a state convention in Sioux Falls (with others on the line phoning in from other gatherings) and only one Minnehaha County central committee person bothered to participate.
At the time, Lederman said the Minnehaha County party has always been that way. They don’t think of themselves as part of the state party.
That’s not accurate in the slightest. I was a Minnehaha precinct person and I voted in that convention, as did many others. We used Zoom because COVID restrictions forced the SDGOP to have the convention at the SDGOP’s headquarters, which had very limited space.
I was there; we had plenty of room for more people. Lots of empty chairs. It was ridiculous, the state convention was anchored in Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County didn’t show up.