On Tuesday, I posted a short video of the former Chair of the Josephine County Republican Party, Joseph Rice, announcing (on the steps of the Josephine County Courthouse) his resignation from the Party, as well as that of a number of other officers / Precinct Committee people (PCP’s), due to “corruption” in the Party, supposedly facilitated by the past Chair (Holli Morton), which includes supposedly circumventing the Party Bylaws.
Joseph said he ran on a platform of “putting conservatives in the seats and putting a sustainable structure into the Party.”
Joseph has stated that there were 174 PCP’s total, that 121 PCP’s participated in his Election, but only 61 PCP’s attended a “Recall” meeting that resulted in his ouster (he lost the Recall 60-1). He said, “No recall signatures were ever submitted. You can do the math.”
And responding to a PCP member on Facebook, Joseph said: “Not all 174 PCP were notified from the outdated list you used. This is why meeting notifications originate from the JCRCC Secretary as she has the most updated PCP contact list. You willfully circumvented the bylaws and did not make proper notification to all PCP. Sad, unethical and corrupt.”
Grants Pass City Council President and Josephine County Republican Party Precinct Committee Person (PCP) Victoria Marshall responded to the situation Friday on Facebook:
Setting the Record Straight: Understanding the Recall of Joseph Rice
Many of you have seen Joseph Rice’s courthouse-steps video, in which he accuses others of “corruption” and claims he had no other choice but to step away and form a new group, stating, “We are moving to United Conservatives.” He also claimed, “It’s not about a Democrat or Republican tag. It’s about what is best for Josephine County and our community.” This speech should concern Republicans and Conservative Independent voters who don’t want to be associated with the ‘Democrat Tag.’ It should concern the Republican and Independent voters who swept last November’s election. These issues did concern the Josephine County Republican Central Committee’s Precinct Committee Persons (the people who ARE the JCRCC), as they had just recalled him 5 days previously.
But why would this group, led by Joseph Rice, need to leave the JCRCC? The JCRCC is overwhelmingly successful. The claims made by Joseph Rice are illogical. If corruption existed in the JCRCC, wouldn’t the logical course of action be to look to its leadership, the very people from the Executive Committee who resigned?
That is precisely what a large group of the members of the JCRCC did. They organized, examined the evidence, and decided that the evidence warranted recalling the Chair and did so on October 29th. The others standing on the courthouse steps left with him, and that is unfortunate. Nonetheless, the group that chose to remove the chair was and remains larger than the group on the courthouse steps. It’s fitting and fair that JOCO Republicans and Conservative voters understand; therefore, we must clarify what really happened. We recalled Joseph Rice from his position as Chair of the Josephine County Republican Party for cause. We conducted the process in accordance with our JCRCC bylaws and the Oregon Republican Party (ORP) bylaws. The vote was overwhelming, and its result stands.
In response to that recall, Joseph Rice must have convinced most of the Executive Committee to resign. He tried to make it appear that he was resigning (in my opinion), but one cannot resign from a position from which they’ve been recalled. Many other PCPs left as well. But nowhere near the number Rice claimed in his speech. There were 173 Republican PCPs; 35 (approximately) is not even ¼ of the members. The JCRCC remains strong in numbers and will hold its next meeting on November 17th, where new officers will be elected, and we will get to work on issues vital to our County and State.
Unlike the speech at the courthouse, Joseph’s recall wasn’t personal. It was about restoring normal process inside the Josephine County Republican Party. After months of violations of bylaws and Robert’s Rules, PCPs voted overwhelmingly to recall Chair Joseph Rice. The most important reason was that he, as chair, failed to support two Republican Commissioners facing recall. When our Republican commissioners were under recall attack, Rice made no meaningful effort to back them. This wasn’t theoretical; meetings where the vote to support them was to happen were cancelled, signs supporting them were removed, and PCPs who tried to help were admonished. This is NOT what the JCRCC wanted. When we were finally able to meet, we voted overwhelmingly to support our Commissioners. It’s really telling, by the way, that a man stood near Joseph during his speech wearing a recall t-shirt. That is not the will of the JCRCC. In order to support our Commissioners, the JCRCC had to change their leadership.
The recall of Joseph Rice was driven by three main areas of concern: Abuse of Power, Division and Retaliation, and Public Misconduct. Each of these issues was thoroughly addressed and proven to the satisfaction of the JCRCC, which met legally and according to its bylaws, and recalled Chair Rice. While I may delve into these in more detail at a later date, the lack of support for the Commissioners is a significant enough reason for the recall.
The Josephine County Republican Party remains active and is not ‘unorganized,’ as the departing group may have hoped. It’s worth noting that the group who left aimed, it seems, to destroy the party on the way out, possibly to encourage people to join their group. However, they didn’t understand the JCRCC bylaws, thankfully. Our First Delegate did not resign. Given that he is a member of our Executive Committee, he became the Chair Pro Temp. He and the remaining delegates have called a meeting where we will elect a new Executive Committee. Our commitment to the success of the Republican Party in Josephine County and Oregon remains unwavering.
Despite the challenges we’ve faced, the JCRCC is ready to move forward and work on issues vital to our County and State. Their motives were clear to me: burn down the most successful Republican Party in Oregon for selfish, personal reasons. That is my opinion, but facts inform it.
In my next post, I will analyze the courthouse steps speech. I’ve written it, but I wanted to post this first. This is the situation as I experienced it, and I hope it’s been useful for Republicans and Conservatives, because we’ve got work to do and need to get the facts straight in order to do so. Thanks for reading.
Victoria Marshall is also the President of the Grants Pass City Council, and her opinion has weight.
The Joco Republican (and Josephine County Republican Party Precinct Committee Person (PCP), Jordan Mortenson, also responded on YouTube.
The Grants Pass Daily Courier reported that Rice’s opponents gave them a list of grievances against him, including that he has not helped Josephine County Commissioners Chris Barnett and Andreas Blech as they face a Recall, as mentioned in Victoria Marshall’s above letter. Beyond that, grievances against Rice say that Grants Pass City Council members may also be Recalled, and that Rice’s inaction has left these officials vulnerable and weakened the Committee’s influence.
There is pushback from Joseph Rice’s side regarding his support of the Josephine County Commissioners after they were Recalled. The claim is that the Commissioners reached out and asked Joseph NOT to support them against the Recall, at least early on. But I was told the Commissioners never refused help. They just wanted to make sure that messages on the “support” signs were positive.
I know decent people on both sides of this issue. No doubt, both sides feel they are the ones in the right. But personally, I think I speak for the majority of Republicans in Josephine County who want a strong Party structure that continues supporting our local office holders, unless of course, they have broken the People’s trust in some egregious way. If we are content to let these people–who the majority of us elected–be swept out of office, we are opening ourselves up to the possibility that those who are then appointed (not elected) to replace them could be less conservative, and therefore less in sync with the community’s values as a whole. The grievance against Joseph Smith made this point as well, per The Grants Pass Daily Courier (11/5/25 edition).
The “Elephant” (no pun intended, Republicans!) In the Room
The action taken by Joseph Rice and those who joined him in leaving the Josephine County Republican Party–because all of the Executive Committee left with him–was apparently thought to result in the Party being forced to dissolve! Was this the intention? I certainly hope not!
But those opposing Joseph believe that his actions will NOT result in the dissolution of the local Party. In fact, a letter from the OREGON Republican Party (ORP) clearly backs up their position…
Dear Josephine County PCPs,
I want to take a moment to personally address the recent confusion and public statements regarding the status of the Josephine County Republican Central Committee (JCRCC).
Despite some claims to the contrary, the Josephine County Republican Party is not unorganized. The JCRCC remains organized and functioning under its own bylaws and the bylaws of the Oregon Republican Party (ORP).
While all the officers have recently resigned, one member of the Executive Committee remains duly elected and in office — Delegate Matthew Robinson.
Under Articles IX and XVI of the JCRCC Bylaws, when vacancies occur, the remaining Executive Committee member(s) — including ORP Delegates — are required to appoint temporary (pro tempore) officers until a new leadership team is elected.
Delegate Robinson will promptly appoint temporary officers in order to schedule an election meeting of the Central Committee, where PCPs will elect new county officers and conduct any necessary business. This ensures that the JCRCC retains local authority to function, hold meetings, and continue its work on behalf of Josephine County Republicans.
The Oregon Republican Party has reviewed this matter carefully. ORP Parliamentarian Christina Buehler has confirmed that the Josephine County Republican Party remains organized and empowered to operate in accordance with its bylaws.
Please know that the ORP does not take sides in county-level disputes. Our role is to ensure that all counties follow proper procedure, protect members’ rights, and uphold fairness, transparency, and integrity in Party operations. We will continue to provide procedural guidance as requested.
This is a challenging moment, but also an opportunity — to reset, rebuild trust, and reaffirm what unites us. The work you do as Precinct Committee Persons is essential to our shared mission.
Your dedication, integrity, and commitment to conservative principles are what sustain this Party at every level.
Thank you for continuing to serve with honor and purpose. The Oregon Republican Party stands beside you as you move forward together — stronger, organized, and ready to lead.
With appreciation and optimism,
Connie Whelchel, Chair, Oregon Republican Party
So What Now?
As the above letter says, “…Delegate Robinson will promptly appoint temporary officers in order to schedule an election meeting of the Central Committee, where PCPs will elect new county officers and conduct any necessary business…”
What about those who chose to leave? Can they be re-elected? It appears so, if they so choose to come back to the Party. I know there are good people among that group. And I hope they do decide to come back–for the good of the Party… but mostly for the good of the County and communities they serve.
We haven’t heard the last of this story–probably not by a long shot. I truly hope that the fracturing of the Josephine County Republican Party can be resolved / healed / fixed. A drastically weakened Republican Party would be an early Christmas gift to the local Democrat Party and many of their Leftist supporters. As one who strongly supports Constitutional governance (or as close as we can come to it!), I hope and pray that the current fracture can and will be healed. If dealt with correctly, who knows? Perhaps the Republican Party can come back stronger than ever. Of course, I am an optimist at heart, but one can always dream!
Patrick Rooney is the Founder of OldSchoolUs.com. He promotes natural health, success, and freedom during chaotic times.
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Not perfect take on ezekial 37 verse one to ten but here goes… Son of man can these dry bones live ??? Prophecy to the winds and I will bring it to PASS SO ALL WILL KNOW I AM THE LORD !!! A GREAT NOISE AND COMMOTION THEN BONES GREW FLESH AND BECAME A GREAT ARMY. but had no breath!! So prophecy and the breath of god will come into the horde and it was exceedingly large!! Moral of the story is the spirit of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy and if you not doing that you these dry bones!! In memory of bible go to guy who just entered his rest
Evelyn, I appreciate your participation and I know you care, but honestly, I don’t know what you’re referring to here, or how you weigh in. Can you be as clear as possible, and just be more specific? Thank you
I’m very impressed with the quality of workers in the party who are stepping up – the best team ever. They should be able to accomplish a great deal in this next pivotal year.
Nice to see you coming onto the news scene. We need more balanced coverage. What has happened to the party was borne of power struggles and an echo chamber of lies that became blown out of proportion. With help from the ORP, we are getting back on track. PCPs who left are coming back to get to work.
Thank you, Holly. I am just a member of the community who wants to see it fix its problems and succeed. I am also a registered Republican what wants to see my Party succeed, and fight the growing danger of Leftist Democrats steering an essentially conservative county in the wrong direction. I am quite saddened to see the splintering of my Party and therefore, my county. I only tried to cover both sides of the Republican Party internal debate. I fully admit I still do not know all the details regarding Party bylaws, etc. Ultimately, as I have said, this fight will need to be sorted out by the Oregon Republican Party (if they choose to do so), and perhaps other authorities. I have friends on both sides of this fight, and am constantly learning more. And I may have followup to this story. It would be hard not to. But I have no desire to be the final arbiter here. I wish Joseph Rice and those who followed him the best, and he is welcome to lay out his grievances, but mostly I would like to hear from him his vision of how we OVERCOME these grievances to restore the Josephine County Republican Party as the strong organization it must become if we are to provide a powerful counterweight to the Democrats’ march against our freedoms.
For the record, Joseph Rice made comments to me, and his feeling is that I haven’t been completely fair to him. I admit, and I don’t think it’s a secret, that I do not think it was a good idea for the entire Executive Committee to follow him out of the Josephine County Republican Party. Did he encourage that? If so, it was not wise, in my opinion, and actually very destructive, as it could have left the Party in a state where it was essentially “put out of business” for at least the time being. Was that his intention? Thankfully (from MY vantage point), the Oregon Republican Party affirmed that this is NOT the case. That delegate Matthew Robinson’s presence is enough to keep the Party going, and it can rebuild from him and the Precinct Committee Persons (PCPs)–the vast majority of whom remain.
But while I may not AGREE with Joseph Rice’s actions, I do want to be FAIR to him. So in that spirit, I’m passing on a comment he made to me regarding this story:
“Hi Patrick, Maybe you can get the “grievances”, as I have never been presented with them. Maybe you can figure out who actually received “notice”. Many PCP did not receive any email on this “meeting”. PCP asked to have their name removed from the signature sheet as they were lied to about what the purpose of signing was for. Did you ever see the email’s put out by the JCRCC Secretary? Did you see the email put out by the elected Parliamentarian? Did you see the email put out by the Executive Committee Officers? If not, why?”
“That is the corruption I have been referring to, no transparency, no ethical behavior. You give Victoria a lot of credit, but the first week as chair she yelled at me, “Your not my Chair”
Joseph… Well, there is always two side to a story. I would suggest getting the other side before putting something out. Like the ORP went completely around the JCRCC Executive Committee Officers.”
My response made to Joseph: “Yes, there are two sides. I videotaped your speech without putting in the other side. I got that out same day. You stated your side in your speech. I got the other side’s statement to that, and added a few quotes from you to give your side more perspective. That was today’s post. This story is clearly not over, so yes, I may need to do followups. But I don’t have to get every detail to put a post out. It’s assumed there should be followup. Anyway, I need to get back to the meeting. Feel free to email me whatever you think is pertinent at ………………… Thank you”
I would add that, frankly, my interest is this matter is to keep the Josephine County Republican Party a viable “counterweight” to the Josephine County DEMOCRAT Party and the growing Leftist influence in our county. And to help free hearts and minds, to the best of my ability, knowing I am not the One who does the freeing! I am not interested in the back and forth between opposing factions of the conservative movement. That can and needs to be mediated in the proper forums. I wish that, in the end, the fighting “each other” stops, that the political fighting resumes against the Democrat Party and their bad solutions (in my opinion), and that we ALL keep in mind who the real ENEMY is–Satan and his pack of demons! If that last part offended you, I suggest you read your Bible if you’re a Christian. If you’re not, hey, I can’t help you! I’m not trying to make you mad. But sometimes it can’t be helped 🙂
Excellent Writeup Patrick!
Everything has been pretty crazy but we must remain strong! I believe mistakes were made by those on the courthouse steps that day. Hopefully they will realize this and return to us. I don’t speak for everyone but for myself I welcome them back with open arms and forgiveness. However we need to remember what the scriptures say and thank you Darius Englen for showing me this verse
Proverbs 13:14-17
“The instruction of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death. Good insight gives grace, But the way of the treacherous is unrelenting. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool spreads out folly. A wicked messenger falls into evil, But a faithful envoy brings healing.”
I have worked hard to support our community leaders, there is so many who have been duped by people on social media and fake news. We must carry on with real research , seeking the actual truth instead of listening to the lies and believing everything we hear. -The JOCO Republican
Thank you, Jordan. I appreciate that, and I appreciate your work to help the community. I know there is a lot to this story. I cannot get to every single detail. Others are free to add what they believe is important. And hopefully this issue will be hashed out, and the Republican Party of Josephine County (OR) will come out of this stronger than ever!
Thank you for the fair coverage. The community can trust your coverage. Victoria Marshall
Thank you, Victoria. From what I see, I believe you have a good heart and want what is best for the city of Grants Pass, and for Josephine County. I know just me saying this makes me a “biased” reporter in the eyes of some. Try as we might, no reporter in the world is truly “unbiased”–we all have a point of view. The best I can do is to try to be fair to all concerned. I’m not against anybody here. I know there are good people on both sides of this situation. Again, my desire is to see the Josephine County Republican Party remain a strong counterbalance to the Josephine County DEMOCRATIC Party, and the seemingly growing Leftist influence over our area.