Judge rules Peterson is no longer state GOP chairman

Embattled Idaho GOP party chairman Barry Peterson has been stripped of the office he contended he continues to hold.

Fifth District Judge Randy Stoker ruled Tuesday that Peterson's term of office ended a month ago when the fractious state Republican Convention failed to elect a new chairman. Peterson had contended that failure to replace him meant he continued in office.

Peterson leads the right wing/Tea Party conservatives of the state party and is involved in a power struggle with the moderate conservatives for control of the party.

Leaders of the moderate wing of the party had organized a call for a meeting of the state central committee for this Saturday, Aug. 2, in Boise, to select a new chairman. Peterson had called for a meeting of party officials Aug. 9 that he anticipated would favor his position and the lawsuit filed in Twin Falls had asked to stop Saturday's meeting of the central committee.

Stoker said the Aug. 2 meeting would be the valid meeting because it was called by the Idaho State Republican Party Central Committee. That group is believed to lean slightly toward the more moderate wing of the party.

Noting that, "you are a party without direction," Stoker said that "the political maneuvering here as to whether we meet on the ninth or the second (of August).... (T)he objective of the (party) rules is to put in place a mechanism for party officials who have the authority to elect their officers, and there is no question in my mind, that that rests with the central committee."

Mike Mathews, who along with Cindy Siddoway were the two party officials sued by Peterson, said that he was "happy that the Aug. 2 meeting called by the grassroots of the party will go forward. I look forward to holding elections to end any confusion in party leadership."

Mathews was the party's first vice-chairman, but according to the judge's ruling, there are now no state officers that would have been elected at the state convention last month. The central committee, however, is chosen from elected county central committees, and it will remain in place, according to Stoker's ruling.

In a joint statement, Mathews and Siddoway alleged that "since the GOP convention adjourned in June, Peterson has attempted to hold on to the chairmanship. He changed locks on the office, discarded documents, and fired staff. Even when the National Republican Committee said that it would not recognize Peterson as Idaho's chairman, he persisted."

The National Republican Committee had said that it would not recognize Peterson as Idaho's chairman and had threatened to severely limit Idaho's representation at the next RNC convention.

"I am pleased to see that Idaho will have full representation at the upcoming RNC meeting in Chicago," Siddoway said. "It is now critically important that all the loyal party members come to Boise to cast their vote for officers."

Following Stoker's ruling, Peterson reportedly said he would not run again for chairman.

Three men, Doug Pickett, Mike Duff and Steve Yates, have declared their candidacy for chairman of the Idaho Republican Party. Those candidates will now stand for election at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Red Lion Hotel in Boise.

In arguing their respective sides before Judge Stoker, Tim Hopkins represented the defendants Mike Mathews and Cindy Siddoway. while Christ Troupis represented the plaintiffs, Barry Peterson, John Cross, Leeann Callear, Vicki Purdy, Bryan Smith, Todd Hatfield and Marla Lawson.