Regan Rewrites the Rules: How the KCRCC Chairman Overruled Precinct 417 Voters to Consolidate Power

Guest Editorial by North Idaho Republicans

In his June 13 column, Brent Regan claims he was merely following the rules when he declared the elected precinct committeeman for Precinct 417, Kathleen Tillman, to have vacated her seat. He insists her removal was automatic and mandatory, dictated by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) bylaws. But the rules are just shadows on the periphery of Mr. Regan’s mind.

Let’s begin with Regan’s central claim: that the bylaws required Tillman’s removal and left the Chairman with no discretion.

The relevant bylaw is Article VI(a), which states a vacancy occurs when a committee member “fails to attend four (4) consecutive regular meetings of the KCRCC without excuse acceptable to the KCRCC.” Notice the key phrase: acceptable to the KCRCC—meaning the full committee, not the Chairman acting alone.

Regan bypassed the committee entirely. At no point before declaring the seat vacant did he ask the body to vote on whether Tillman’s absences were excused. He entertained no motion, called for no discussion, and provided no notice. He simply informed the body that she was out and proceeded to fill her seat. This wasn’t following the rules. It was rewriting them.

And when multiple members stood up to correct his violation, Regan misrepresented both the facts and the rules in order to block their efforts.

For example, prior to the May 2025 meeting, Legislative District Four Chair Lisa Aitken submitted a timely agenda request—as permitted by Article V, Section 5.5—to discuss Ms. Tillman’s absences and the extenuating circumstances surrounding them: the death of her husband. Regan denied the request, and refused to put the motion on the agenda, and later asserted that such a motion was “out of order.”

Then, at the May meeting, minority committee members endorsed by North Idaho Republicans objected to his ruling, and moved to place excusing Tillman’s absences on the agenda. Mr. Regan ruled the agenda item out of order. Minority faction committee members continued to press and object, but Chairman Regan refused to allow a debate or a vote on the motion excusing Ms. Tillman’s absences.

He claimed that no excuse had ever been given for Tillman’s absences—despite the fact that she had informed an executive committee member of her situation and submitted a proxy for each missed meeting, and it was known that her husband had died. The bylaws do not specify to whom, or in what time and manner, the absence and excuse must be reported. Committee members knew of her husband’s illness and death and had been aware of the circumstances. Her proxies were submitted in good faith and accepted at the time.

Regan’s claim—that inaction by the body equals rejection of an excuse—is sleight of hand. The bylaws assign this authority to the committee, not the Chair. His refusal to allow a vote was not procedural—it was political. The bylaws say “without excuse acceptable to the KCRCC”—they do not say that inaction by the body authorizes the Chair to declare the excuse unacceptable. The authority belongs to the body. Regan simply seized it for himself.

Brent Regan insisted that Tillman had an equal opportunity to be reappointed and that the body could vote on her return. But this is political gaslighting. You cannot first declare someone’s elected office vacant without cause or process and then claim they’re welcome to be “appointed” back—especially when the seat was filled by a handpicked insider favored by the majority faction. That isn’t a fair process. That’s disenfranchisement.

Let’s be clear: Kathleen Tillman was elected by 63% of the Republican voters of her precinct in a county-run primary election. Under Idaho Code § 34-502, precinct committeemen are elected public party officers—not private appointees. While the committee may fill vacancies, it has no statutory authorityto remove an elected committeeman without a resignation or disqualification defined by law. There is no state statute authorizing a committee to terminate a committeeman’s term for missed meetings. The committee bylaws cannot override Idaho election law.

If Mr. Regan genuinely believed he was following the rules to facilitate the will of the body, he would have allowed a vote on the motion of whether Tillman’s absences were excused. He would have informed her in advance. He would have let the committee evaluate her explanation and made the process transparent, and allowed the body to debate and rule on the motions to excuse her absences. He did none of those things. Instead, he concealed his self-created process, blocked attempts to remedy the injustice, and used misdirection and half-truths to defend it.

What this incident reveals is not just a technical disagreement over bylaws, but a deeper failure of leadership—one that prioritizes control over fairness, optics over truth, and consolidation of power over the integrity of elections.

The majority faction on the KCRCC has the opportunity to correct this. They can acknowledge the procedural violations, revisit the improper declaration of vacancy, and restore Tillman to the seat she was duly elected to serve. Anything less affirms that, under Brent Regan’s leadership, rules are enforced only when convenient—and ignored when inconvenient.

The truth matters. So do the rules. And no amount of clever misdirection can hide what really happened. Kathleen Tillman’s removal had nothing to do with Regan following the rules and everything to do with Regan consolidating power.

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Submitted by:

Pierce Clegg, Will Havercroft, Tim Skubitz, Casey Morrisroe, Britt Towery, Charlene Matheson, John Young, Aaron O’Brien, Charlie Specht, Justin Schorzman, Joshua Dahlstrom, Todd Tondee, Mary Souza, Britt Thurman, Dave Raglin, Sid Smith, Dan Gookin, Kathleen Tillman, Dan Sheckler, Darin Hayes, Paul Wagner, Dan Redline, and Lisa Aitken

The above are members of the KCRCC endorsed by North Idaho Republicans, and Kathleen Tillman who was elected to serve on the committee. The opinions expressed are their own, and do not represent the views of the KCRCC.