Following ballot saga, Platte County Republicans disavow 4 independent candidates
Days after four Republican candidates withdrew from the upcoming Platte County election and launched independent campaigns, the county’s Republican committee announced plans to censure those candidates and deem them unwelcome within the party.
The four candidates initially withdrew from their respective countywide races Monday morning in fear they may be disqualified from the election over a mistake prompted by incorrect instructions on a county-issued slip of paper.
Now, the candidates, Chris Kendall, Holly Cayer, Dale Brouk and Kevin Robinson, are running for office independently, meaning they will have to earn their spot on the ballot through signature petitions and with no party backing.
And the Platte County Republican Central Committee says it will not support them again after their independent bids, vowing to “withhold its endorsement, support and infrastructure from any future candidacy” by the four candidates and declaring them “persona non grata.”
“The Republican Party of Platte County is not a flag of convenience. Filing under the Republican banner carries with it an obligation of sincere alignment with the principles, the candidates and the voters of the Party,” the committee said in a news release sent Thursday night. “The conduct of these former candidates treated the Republican Party as a convenience to be discarded when it became inconvenient.”
Each of the four candidates were nearly disqualified from the upcoming election earlier this week after incorrectly filing the personal financial disclosure statements needed to run for office, a mistake some say was caused by inaccurate information provided to candidates by the Platte County Board of Elections.
In Platte County, countywide candidates must file financial statements with both the Missouri Ethics Commission and the county clerk in compliance with a county ordinance first passed nearly 30 years ago. In many other Missouri counties, candidates only need to file with the state.
In past election cycles, candidates were given a slip of paper outlining the dual requirement. But this year, candidates received a yellow notice from the county election board instructing them to only file their disclosures online with the state, and not with any other entity, leading seven candidates, including the four now running independently, to incorrectly file their financial documents.
“The incorrect information was due to a misunderstanding on our part about filing procedure with the county clerk and the intent to streamline the process for candidates,” Chris Hershey, director of the Platte County Board of Elections, said in an email to The Star last week.
On Monday, the Platte County Commission voted against disqualifying the candidates in a 2-1 vote. However, Kendall, current county treasurer, Cayer, who is running for collector, Brouk, a candidate for presiding commissioner, and Robinson, the current county auditor, had already withdrawn their names from the election prior to that vote.
Members of the Republican Central Committee, including two of the independent candidates, received a copy of a draft news release regarding plans to censure the four candidates from committee chair Tammy Thompson Wednesday evening, according to an email obtained by The Star.
The next morning, Thompson replied, stating: “This was sent in error; this is not an official communication, I apologize for the emails being seen. Please delete.”
She later sent the official news release to members shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday.
In the release, Thompson claims the four candidates did not take accountability for incorrectly filing their personal financial disclosure statements and abandoned their party by running independently.
“The Republican Party of Platte County stands for personal accountability and for the rule of law,” she said. “A candidate who breaks faith, with both by failing to comply with the law and by then withdrawing to avoid being held accountable for that failure, is not a candidate this committee will support, recognize, or work alongside.”
The two other Republican candidates who were nearly disqualified earlier this week, Russ Wojtkiewicz and Gena Ross, were not included in the censure.
Thompson declined to comment on the situation further.
Despite being censured, Kendall, who is running to retain his position as county treasurer, said he still feels confident he made the right decision by withdrawing from the election and now opting to run as an independent candidate.
“I respect the Central Committee’s decision to censure us, that is certainly their right,” Kendall said in a statement to The Star. “It in no way changes my belief that I made the proper decision on Monday that will allow me to remain on the ballot for the sake of Platte County.”
Robinson declined to comment on the matter. Brouk did not respond to requests for comment.
Like Kendall, Cayer, who has worked in the collector’s office for 15 years, remained optimistic Friday morning.
“Campaign season can get noisy, but I believe most people are more interested in thoughtful leadership than political drama,” she said in a statement.
