Court Finds Coos County Republican Chairman Michael Brainard in Violation of Oregon Statute on “Widest and Fairest Representation of Members”

It was a long day in court fighting for new members to participate in the local Republican Party, but I wanted to give you a quick update while the details are still fresh.

After hearing testimony from both sides, a Coos County judge ruled that Republican Party Chairman Michael Brainard violated Oregon state law by refusing to hold meetings and vote in new members. The specific statute is ORS 248.005, which requires political parties to “insure the widest and fairest representation of party members in the party organization and activities.”

The judge found that Chairman Brainard failed to schedule important meetings in a timely manner, stating that key meetings “should have been held but were not held.”

As a remedy, the judge ordered Chairman Brainard to call a meeting of the Coos County Republican Central Committee on April 10th for the purpose of appointing new members who have already submitted applications. The judge emphasized that Chairman Brainard must ensure willing new members are permitted to “get on board and do the work of the party as soon as possible.”

Thank you to all the strongly-rooted conservatives who stayed the course with us. I look forward to voting you in as new members on April 10th. Onward!

ORS 248.005 - https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_248.005