OPINION: GOP sets troubling standard by punishing bipartisanship

The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Feb. 28—Unsurprising yet unfortunate, the Indiana 9th District GOP Committee voted Feb. 15 to censure Floyd County Council President Denise Konkle and reprimand Floyd County Councilman Jim Freiberger.

Their political sin, according to party leadership, was voting for Democrat Brad Striegel over Republican Danny Short for council vice president.

While Freiberger's reprimand amounts to a "tisk tisk" from the party, Konkle is banned from running in a Republican primary for five years. Her punishment was worse because she's voted for Striegel for leadership positions in the past, while this was Freiberger's first time. Though the Floyd County Republican Party chair could request removal of that punishment before Konkle would be up for re-election in 2026, she made it clear in comments to the News and Tribune that she doesn't intend to run as a GOP candidate.

And that could hurt the Floyd County GOP more than who is the vice president of the council. Not only could Konkle, who easily won re-election last year, potentially become a Democrat, but she now has no reason to side with Republicans on any votes. With the issues the county is facing — from spending millions on building renovations to grappling with ambulance contracts — Konkle stands to cast some key votes in the near future. Why make an enemy out of someone your party could need?

On the subject of ambulances, the only good development from the hearing was Jamey Noel's decision to recuse himself from the vote. The 9th District GOP chair is the founder of New Chapel EMS, which has a contract for service in Floyd County outside of New Albany. Freiberger and Konkle supported the purchase of two new ambulances for fire districts in a 4-3 vote on Jan. 10. Konkle suggested the censure vote amounted to "bullying" of her and Freiberger based on their votes.

As reported by the News and Tribune, other Republicans have voted for Democrats in leadership positions without facing punishment. That fact gives credence to Konkle's claim about the connection between her ambulance vote and the GOP's sudden enforcement of its rule about voting for a Democrat over a Republican.

Residents should also question what this message means. Does the 9th District GOP frown upon bipartisanship? Republican Ed Clere has been popular with many Democrats in New Albany. If he's to win the city's mayoral race this year, he'll need bipartisan support, but apparently crossing the aisle is a no-no for the 9th District GOP. If elected officials shouldn't do it, then why should voters?

The committee's decision was a head-scratcher, and a bad message at a time of hyper partisanship. All of us — voters and those in office — need to dial back the fighting and find ways to work together. The path taken by the 9th District GOP and Floyd County Republican Party on this issue represents all that's wrong with politics.