Note: Mark Fuller, chair of the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee, provided the following response to an article in the Nov. 4 Idaho Politics Weekly newsletter written by contributor Steve Taggart.
I have served as Chairman of the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee for nearly four years and Mr. Taggart has not attended any of our monthly meetings, as I recall.He has no first hand knowledge of internal actions within the County Party. In his article published first by you, and republished by the Post Register, Mr. Taggart asserted that Doyle Beck and Bryan Smith are pushing the proposed rule and resolution before the State Party in January, 2020 to modify the procedure for filling legislative vacancies. I personally authored both the proposed rule and the proposed resolution which would require the legislative district committee to submit only one nominee, who must then be appointed by the Governor.The rule and resolution were approved by both the county executive committee and the county central committee upon my personal motions and argument. Neither Bryan Smith nor Doyle Beck played any part in pushing such actions, other than casting their votes as members of these committees, which they are legally permitted to do. Mr. Taggart’s rumors have no basis in fact and he should not be considered as a credible source unless you have verified.
Mr. Taggart’s claims to knowledge of Republican County Party politics are much exaggerated. I would invite you to contact me personally to verify his claims in the future. Our meetings are conducted in public and minutes are approved at the next meeting. Attendance is open to the public, but Mr. Taggart chooses not to attend, only speculate and spread rumors.