Bonneville County legislator ‘censured’ for platform violations; committee issues ‘guidance’ to colleagues
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IDAHO FALLS — The committee that oversees Legislative District 32 is urging their state lawmakers to reaffirm their commitment to the Republican Party in 2024.
Several months ago, District 32 Sen. Kevin Cook, along with Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen and Rep. Wendy Horman were informed there were numerous complaints against them alleging they violated the party platform because of the way they voted on certain bills during the 2023 Legislative Session.
Per party rules, the Legislative District 32 committee, which is under the umbrella of the Bonneville County Republican Party, scheduled a public hearing to address the complaints and give each lawmaker a chance to account for their vote. None of the legislators ended up attending but the Special Investigation Committee appointed to look into the matter did present their recommendations.
After looking at all the information during a closed-door session last week, the District 32 committee voted and sent a resolution of guidance to Horman and Cook. Mickelsen received a resolution of censure.
Bonneville County GOP Chairman Nick Contos explained what this means during a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com. He says these documents — none of which are legally binding — are an expression of the committee’s concerns about their votes.
“(A resolution of guidance) is basically a statement that says the political party that you affiliate with is encouraging you to vote (a certain) way or to take a stronger stance on an issue,” Contos says.
A resolution of censure is a public statement of dissatisfaction with an elected official’s performance, says Contos.
“Representative Mickelsen’s voting appears to be drawn toward the Democrat Party and away from mainstream Republican votes as evidenced by constituent complaints on 13 different bills,” the committee says in documents sent to Mickelsen. “(She) seems to have no interest in the party’s concerns over her voting record.”
In public documents, the committee calls on Mickelsen to “reaffirm her commitment” to the party and to “consider the platform when evaluating proposed legislation.”
If Mickelsen continues to disregard the party platform, Contos says the committee could meet again in the future and remove Republican Party support with a two-thirds majority vote. The same thing could happen to Horman and Cook if they received a resolution of censure and continued to disregard it.
A deeper look at the issue
Initially, Horman had seven complaints against her and Cook had 10. Mickelsen garnered the most complaints, a total of 16. The Special Investigation Committee ultimately recommended the number of allegations be reduced for each of them. Its review focused on four complaints against Horman, four against Cook and 11 against Mickelsen.
The reduced number was accepted by the LD32 Committee as the focus of the Dec. 5 hearing, according to documents sent to EastIdahoNews.com. After deliberating, it reduced Horman’s violations to zero because, though she did not attend, she was the only official who submitted written explanations for her votes.
“The Legislative District 32 Republican Committee wishes to thank Representative Horman for the written responses/explanations she provided to the committee,” the documents say. “(We) also encourage Horman to engage the Republican Party and preliminary committees before arguing about the process in public media.”
The four complaints against Cook remained in place due to numerous concerns outlined in the documents below.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to each of the legislators about the committee’s decision. Horman declined to comment. Cook and Mickelsen sent a statement in response.
Cook explained the reasoning behind his vote on several bills and said the reason he didn’t attend the hearing is because District 32 Committee Chairman Doyle Beck informed him there were 10 allegations against him without any guarantee there would be a public hearing or vote on the matter.
Mickelsen said her colleagues “were called out for the very same votes I took yet their ‘punishments’ looked different.”
“One begins to wonder if this is personal? The very same individual that signed my censure also gave money to my opponent in the last election,” Mickelsen says. “I will continue to stand up against abusive special interest groups who attempt to threaten our communities and derail our values.”
In a previous conversation, Beck repeatedly explained that party rules dictate all hearings are public and that voting is done in private. He said he communicated with them about the rules and tried to accommodate them as much as possible. Communication fell apart when they got the complaints, he said.
The committee’s actions are not meant as a personal attack, according to Beck. It’s only an assessment of their claim to belong to the Republican Party, which they pledged to support when they filed to run for office.
The committee’s actions are in line with party rules, Beck said, and anyone who doesn’t like them can attend party conventions and try to change them.
“Those folks that filed petitions that were concerned about the voting of these legislators — many of them are friends with the legislators. I’m not sure that’s come across in the media,” Contos says. “I know some of those petitioners really feel bad about it because they’re just doing their duty as a precinct officer.”
Contos did not elaborate on which petitioners he’s referring to.
During this ordeal, many, including the legislators, have said the committee has no business telling them how to vote because they answer to voters, not the party.
But Contos says the party does have a say.
“The party organization can and does speak. It can issue statements on policy or elected officials. That’s not new,” Contos says. “That’s one of the things I think is lost in this discussion.”
Contos also points out that LD32 committee members are elected by the same people who voted for Cook, Mickelsen and Horman.
“That legislative district is divided into 20 pieces and each one of those pieces elects a precinct officer. Combined, that’s the exact same group of people that elects the legislators,” he says.
As District 32 chairman, Beck is elected by the committee and does not have any voting power unless there is a tie.
District 32 and 33 legislators held a Town Hall meeting in building 6 of the College of Eastern Idaho earlier this month. District 33 Rep. Barbara Ehardt was not in attendance due to a previous commitment. Watch it in the video above.