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May 16, 2012 07:11 PM UTC

Fisticuffs at Mesa County Republican Meeting

  • 32 Comments
  • by: Konola

(Like the Taiwan legislature, except with cowboy hats – promoted by Colorado Pols)

I’ve been reading about fights breaking out at GOP conventions and thinking that the GOP needs to sign up for anger management therapy.

Most of the fighting seems to be between Ron Paul supporters and Mitt Romney supporters. According to the Daily Paul website, “In Oklahoma, in a scene that has been called “contention at the convention”, a Romney supporter (believed to be almost 80-years-old) punched a Ron Paul supporter in the head. Police were called after the punch was thrown over a disagreement on a vote.”

Grand Junction isn’t immune. I was told that a fight broke out at a recent Grand Junction Republican meeting (May 9.) Evidently two factions of the party were fighting over who would be the spokesperson for the Romney campaign locally.  According to my source, Grand Junction police were called to break up a fist fight between Jerry Huntsinger (author and civil war re-enactor) and Garry Brewer (husband of Barbara Brewer, Mesa County Assessor). Evidently Marjorie Haun and Jennifer Baily were witnesses to the fisticuffs.

I filed a Colorado Open Records Act request to get the police report with the Grand Junction police department. The response I received was that the altercation took place outside of the city limits, so I would have to file a request with the county sheriff. I’ll eventually get around to doing that, but it may be a while.

I’ve been getting whiffs of anger within the local GOP membership from responses to comments I’ve made at the Sentinel’s online edition. There are a couple of names that keep showing up in the E-mail letters to the editor: Kevin McCarney and Marjorie Haun, and they also frequently dispute anything I have to say in my comments.

From what I’ve figured out, the main-stream Republicans want to claim ownership of the Tea Party. The Mesa County GOP and Western Slope Conservative Alliance (WSCA) have inter-locking boards. Many of the executives of the GOP are also executives of WSCA, which is claiming to be the local Tea Party. GJResult/Tea Party, claims to be the original Tea Party and is accusing WSCA of identity theft.

So, from what I’ve pieced together so far, there are four groups within the local GOP-the camp that includes Brewer, the camp that includes Huntsinger, the camp that controls WSCA, and members of GJResult/Tea Party who have not yet renounced their GOP affiliation.

For the record, I am officially a member of GJResult, by virtue of signing up to receive information from them at their website. That caused a bit of a dust up between the GJResult president and bully Kevin McCarney, 2nd Vice Chair of the local GOP and officer of WSCA. McCarney doesn’t think that liberals should be allowed to talk to conservatives. I’ve met McCarney-he seems the type to result to fisticuffs.

In the meanwhile I have a report due at the Secretary of State’s office for the Mesa County Democratic Party. DEMS don’t always agree, but I’ve yet to see anybody throw a punch, even when it comes to money!

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32 thoughts on “Fisticuffs at Mesa County Republican Meeting”

        1. The reason I submitted a CORA request was to confirm the details. I have confirmed that the story is correct with two independent sources, or I wouldn’t have bothered to post it here. I also have a confirmation from the Grand Junction Police department that something happened.

          Here is the text of that E-mail:

          Dear Ms. Konola:

          Thank you for your inquiry and request.  I am happy to help you obtain City records.  I’m told that the location of the May 9 incident is outside City limits, which means your request can be partially answered by the City.

          For a copy of the 911 dispatch recording of the incident, please submit the attached request form to the Grand Junction Police Department, located at 625 Ute Avenue.  Email and phone contact information is included on the form.  I’m told that depending on how long it takes to locate and copy the recording for you, it will cost a minimum of $6.  You may pay the full amount when you go to pick up the recording, but the form specifies that you must provide a blank recordable 700 MB CDR for them to copy it for you.

          To obtain a copy of the incident report, you may contact the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.  According to their web page (http://sheriff.mesacounty.us/contact_us.aspx), the phone number of the Records Supervisor is 244-3150.

          Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

          Sincerely,

          2. Today I got a surprise from the county sheriff’s department:

            Hello Claudette,

            Sheriff Hilkey asked me to reach out to you today and provide some clarification on information you’ve recently written for/on Coloradopols.com. The Sheriff’s Office was not called to Republican HQ on May 9th, as that is in the city limits. It is our understanding that you made an Open Records request at GJ City Hall (or perhaps through their website) and not at the GJ Police Dept. directly. We believe that an honest mistake was made when you were told such an incident occurred in the County and to contact the Sheriff’s Office.

            I hope this is helpful information.

            In addition, should you ever need to make a CORA request of the Sheriff’s Office, here is our website with our form and outlining our process: http://sheriff.mesacounty.us/t…

            Thank you kindly,

            1. Behind Old Chicago. 1114 N 1st Street, Suite 102.

              Whoever told you the call was out of the City was either lying or full of shit.

              The incident was in neither the City nor the County patrol reports.

              People who were there told me law enforcement wasn’t called.  Check your sources.  Maybe they are better than mine.

  5. Oh my word!  Your source led you astray and you didn’t search out verification from the only 2 people who have video of it. Police were not called, this is a blatant lie. I can tell you that if they would have been called it would have been Garry Brewer who would have been found to be the instigator. He pushed Jerry Huntsinger in the shoulder from behind! The video shows clearly that the our Co Assessor and her husband are out of control.

    As far as WSCA and Kevin McCarney, he serves in no leadership position on the WSCA. Many groups are represented on the WSCA board, the Pro 2nd amendment, 9:12, Citizens for Liberty etc and like most non profits, board members are selected and then voted on by the board, not it’s members and Kevin represents the Republican Party and he is the only one from the Republican Party “officials” that’s on the board in any capacity. The local Democratic party are welcome to participate as well.

    GJ Results is jealous. Plain and simple. They hold no events, the hold no forums or educational events..they are angry, non registered voters of any party who chose to do nothing productive but complain..oh and make up stories about things they didn’t do or make up lies about others who are actually working to change things for our city, county, state and country!

    Those that founded the WSCA- and YES it is a tea party, grassroots, liberty group-call it whatever you want, no one owns the name- set out to make a difference and focus on the important things like saving our country from economic destruction and educating the voters. All people are welcome- from any political leanings and board meetings are always open.

    PS..it had nothing to do with Ron Paul, Romney or any other candidate. It has everything to do with poor communication and some who know no other way to deal than to demand and throw a fit to get their way.

    3. From your post, all one can gather is that there was teabag on teabag “pushing” as you call it, and Kanola’s reporting’s fine.

      So now “our County Assessor and her husband are out of control”?

      With “friends like you……….”

      From your own recount, the whole thing sounds like glenn beck on steroids, what with the 9/12 loons, “pro second amendment” nutjobs, on and on.

      Are you kidding me?

      You’re probably lucky nobody got shot at that one!    

      1. I don’t believe that Jen Bailey fell on her or anyone else’s sword.  What I do believe is that Congressman Tipton is finally aware of the games she was playing and she became a political liability.  Either that or she was sent to join Rep Ray Scott’s re-election campaign, (along with Doug Thompson, Tipton’s former campaign manager in GJ) because person or person’s unknown have a large financial interest in pushing through the special interest legislation (HB12-1280); the gambling bill which was co-sponsored by Rep Ray Scott)  Even though that bill did not make it to the House floor for a vote, efforts to resuscitate the bill are already underway as evidenced by the current KKCO, channel 11 news article about horse racing.  http://www.nbc11news.com/home/…

        Conspicuous by its absence in that story is any mention of the casino that would accompany the proposed race track. Why is that?  Also in evidence are separate, past letters to the editor (Daily Sentinel) promoting HB12-1280 from Jennifer Bailey, Gary Bailey and Amber Gragert (Jen’s daughter).  Gary Bailey is the current pres of Western Slope Conservative Alliance.  

        This bill is a sweetheart deal written by an eastern slope race track owner which gives him exclusive control of gaming in this area in prohibiting (by law) any competition within 100 miles of his chosen location. This is not capitalism, this is crony capitalism. (read the bill)  It was fast tracked and contains a provision to bypass a vote of the people and could be installed by a vote of two of the commissioners.  You can guess which two.

        This is the kind of thing that goes on every day in Mesa County politics.  A few get rich while the will of the people is ignored, bypassed or destroyed by co-opting.

        Personally I do not mind Jennifer Bailey and company going after the big money as Republicans, nor do I care if they do it as WSCA members.  However, I do have a problem with their trying to usurp and use the TEA Party name to their own selfish ends.  As Jennifer stated in her post, no one owns the Tea Party name.   What she doesn’t understand is that the Tea Party name is not something you can own, it’s something that has to be earned by the application of values and principles.  Is WSCA or Jennifer Bailey Tea Party?  You be the judge.    

            1. On the contrary, an example of the eschatological hermeneutical significance of the vast magnetorium of human anatomy which would be more appropriately addressed to the deviant TSA employee who just discovered that he has probable cause in his search for an underwear bomber.  He was also impressed.  

  6. OK, after doing a fruitless Google search I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that as a Republican, Mr. Huntsinger obviously wears a … UNION uniform in re-enactments.

    Amirite?

  8. Any reader who gives credence to what Jennifer Bailey has to say or for that matter her credibility, remove all doubt by requesting documentation (written proof in her own words) available on request from GJResult/Tea Party ( http://gjresult.com/forum/inde… )  Find out for yourself that she is not to be believed.   Use code: Pinocchio.  

  9. Konolas’ story need only go to the Konola4Colorado (correct me if that is outdated) blog and read the comments. The King of Threadjackers, “American Patriot” lives there.. He speaks, actually pretty well, for a group whose size I do not know. The vitriol can be amusing…when it isn’t tiring.

    I can tell you this. I know Konola well. Konola is one of the most honest and direct people I know. To accuse Konola of dishonesty is to accuse ABOT of genius.

       

    1. I don’t believe at any time I ever questioned Claudette Konola’s credibility.  I was simply pointing out that GJResult/Tea Party is not a faction of the Republican Party and trying to alert those of the Democrat persuasion that we were also not a faction of the Democrat Party.  

      Perhaps you should check with Ms. Konola before you post.  I’m pretty sure she got it.  

      1. I didn’t say you questioned her credibility…Jen Bailey did that.

        I just called you a threadjacker and a pretty decent writer. You are guilty on both counts…

        Welcome to Pols.

        1. Sorry, I didn’t mean to jack your thread.  

          It’s just that my screen name came up somehow.   And yes there is a little confusion that must be addressed and I believe it has been, so by all means continue yourself.  I’m rather enjoying the show.

          And thank you for the compliment.  I’m just an uneducated country boy doing the best I can while simultaneously listening to my favorite music on my IPod  (Down With the Sickness by Disturbed) and prepping for the “Great Zombie Attack”?  🙂  

      2. Howzit that once upon a time we had a poster who used his initials and last name, but identifying him by name was deemed an outing and this is not?

        1. I believe I outed myself. I have never minded posting as Claudette Konola. I am more concerned about people who are afraid to use their own name in making political observations. I’ll gladly take the blame for everything I put out there!

          1. there was a poster who used his initials and last name as his CoPols user name.   He described himself, his facebook presence and his day gig in such a way that anyone who was listening knew who he was.   Another polster refeenced him by name and was booted.  

            What you say makes sense- both about this and other stuff.  So far.

  10. I too have been watching the dysfunction junction of the Mesa County GOP.  Its not like they have another party to organize against so its time for cannibalism!  And so they get the representation they deserve, I suppose, but pity for the other folk who live there.  Great to see the reasoned, well-thought-out and even-handed response from Ms. Bailey.  I’ve read KMc’s comments in the Seniel and can attest he’s a bit of a loon.  Lets just say he likes to M-S-U if it helps him make a point.  I suppose being a bully means he thinks he can get away with it.  His facts are almost always wrong, so I put him in my idiot column.  Glad to see the anger, though, and back-stabbing!  WHo is the real Tea party?  Follow the shoe!  No!  Follow the gourd!  

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