Condemnation of the Behavior Shown by the Green County Chairman on Saturday, May 13, 2023
We condemn the show of disrespect towards CD2 Chairman-elect, Billie Johnson, who it should be noted, won with an overwhelming 68% of the vote. Mr. Johnson has a decades-long record of support and volunteerism in the Republican Party.



This morning Mr. Johnson drove down to Green County to attend the Green County GOP monthly breakfast meeting in Monroe. He undertook this important step to hear more from CD2 members and listen to their concerns after a contentious caucus. He quietly stood in line and was next to pay $10 for his breakfast at the American Legion. Before he could pay, he was escorted out of the building by the Green County Chairman, John Fandrich, and a local law enforcement officer.



Mr. Fandrich told Mr. Johnson that if he didn't leave, that most of the Green County members would leave the meeting. Coerced by Mr. Fandrich and the law enforcement officer, Mr. Johnson left as he came, quietly and peacefully.


This incident is a violation of Mr. Johnson's constitutional rights and is a despicable display of power and pettiness to rule with an iron fist. Mr. Fandrich has always been welcome to events across other counties in CD2 as are all members of the Green County Republican Party.


He would never be asked to leave one of our meetings, let alone be escorted out by law enforcement. Furthermore, in the past Mr. Fandrich has made open invitations to RPDC members to attend Green County events.
Some of our members are on the GCRP mailing list and get regular invitations to their events. Are they no longer welcome?



Coercing the CD2 Chair-elect is not an acceptable precedent to set. None of us want to live in a country where we cancel and silence those we disagree with. We therefore condemn the attempt to cancel Billie Johnson. This follows a pattern of repeated behavior by Mr. Fandrich to damage CD2 in the final days of his term of Vice Chair. It should also be noted that Mr. Fandrich only received 35% of the vote in his bid for reelection.



The actions taken by Mr. Fandrich today destroys party unity, which will be essential for success in upcoming elections. His consistent retaliation against members of his own party would be better directed at Democrats. Historically, we have seen far better transitions of power than Mr. Fandrich is facilitating. He has set a new low standard of behavior for an elected GOP party leader.



We demand an apology, in writing. from Green County Chairman Mr. Fandrich to CD2 Chair-elect Mr. Johnson.
Signed:
Republican Party of Dane County Executive Board
Chairman Brandon Maly
Congressional District 2
Secretary Kimberly Smith
Treasurer Scott Frostman
Republican Party of Sauk County
Chairman Jerry Helmer
Republican Party of lowa County
Chairman Bill Neal
Republican Party of Lafayette County
Chairman Dave Certa