Two elected officials in Anderson County with Republican ties were sent letters by the GOP’s executive committee asking why they should not be banned from partisan activities and voting in Republican primaries as a result of supporting Democrat Warren Gooch for county mayor in the August election, reports Georgiana Vines..
The two are Robin Biloski, vice chair of the Anderson County Commission, and Angi Agle, treasurer of the Oak Ridge school board, both nonpartisan positions. Agle is a former GOP Anderson County chair. Biloski is known as a Republican who frequently supports Democrats.
Alex Moseley, Anderson County Republican Party chairman, said Friday the executive committee voted in the summer to send letters banning the two from party activities or party-reorganizational meetings, seeking any local office as a Republican and voting in Republican primaries.
“It is not the position of the party that we should force our members to vote for any candidate, but activities that are designed to split party vote are clearly unacceptable,” Moseley said in the letter.
The letter was not sent until after the November elections because Agle was in a re-election campaign, Moseley said.
The August county mayor’s race was won by Terry Frank, whose mother, Ann Phillips, and chief of staff, Richard Burroughs, are on the GOP Executive Committee. Moseley said the two were not on the committee at the time of the vote on the letter.
Originally, Biloski and Agle were asked to meet with the committee next Tuesday, but Moseley sent a second letter canceling the meeting and asking that they send letters with their explanations.
“I am so flabbergasted that I would be reprimanded by any group for supporting my candidate, which is my personal choice and to me the best person to lead Anderson County,” Biloski said Friday.