Two separate groups claim to lead the Rock Island County Republican Central Committee, the fundraising arm of the county GOP, as one group rejects the election of the other.
In August, Patrick Peacock and Marian Stallings filed D-1 with the Illinois State Board of Elections saying Peacock had been elected as chair, with Stallings as treasurer.
But Peacock’s election as chair is being vigorously disputed by former chair Annette “Annie” Parchert, who claims she was ousted in “a coup” and that she remains the official chair of the Rock Island County Republicans.
On Friday, Parchert submitted a D-1 form to the Illinois State Board of Elections with her title being chair of the Rock Island County Central Committee with Benjamin Barber as treasurer.
As of Saturday afternoon, the Illinois Republican Party website does not list a chair for Rock Island County.
Parchert said she was removed from her post in a sham vote and is continuing to refer to herself as the organization’s chair, as well as head of the Illinois Freedom Alliance and a new 501(c)(4) entity she formed called the Illinois Freedom Civic Coalition.
Parchert said she was removed as chair by a small group of people “who do nothing” for the party.
“They’re out there telling everyone I was an ineffective leader and didn’t do my job,” Parchert said. “These people had secret meetings and voted me out of the party. They filed an illegal D-1 Form with the State Board of Elections and said I was no longer chairman.”
She has boxed up all the belongings of the Rock Island County Republicans. In a series of social media posts, Parchert said “The coup can have the boxes, we will keep the mission.”
However, Peacock said, “We’ve been over there twice and she’s refused to let us in.”
Parchert had the locks on the Moline office changed, Peacock said, and she refuses to allow him and the other Republicans take possession of the organization’s property.
Parchert called Moline police to report a theft. According to that report, on Aug. 25, Parchert told the officer about how she was voted out as chair, and how the bank account of the Republican party was closed by Stallings.
The officer informed Parchert nothing she said involved a criminal matter and advised her to contact an attorney to pursue a civil action.
On Aug. 29, Parchert went to the Rock Island County Circuit Court and requested a temporary restraining order against Peacock. Associate Judge Ted Kutsunis denied Parchert’s request for an immediate temporary restraining order.
Peacock said he has not received a summons from the Circuit Court regarding the case.
In an email before Parchert filed the D-1 on Friday, Matt Dietrich, public information officer for the State Board of Elections, said the state’s records indicated Peacock became chair on Aug. 6 when the amended statement of organization was filed.
Dietrich went on to say that the designation applies only to the fundraising committee registered with the State Board of Elections.
“If there is a dispute over leadership of the Rock Island County Republicans — the parent organization for which the Rock Island County Republican Central Committee serves as the fundraising arm — we have no authority to mediate that dispute,” Dietrich said.
Stallings, who is running for Rock Island County Clerk, said a first vote was held to oust Parchert in late July and the measure passed. However, Parchert claimed the meeting and vote did not meet parliamentary procedure so another vote was held Aug. 5.
“She didn’t show up for that second meeting and the vote to replace her with Pat (Peacock) was confirmed,” Stallings said.
Peacock and Stallings said the issues with Parchert’s leadership go deeper. Both said Parchert mingled funds between the Rock Island County Republican Central Committee and the Illinois Freedom Alliance, and spent money she was not allowed to spend without the approval of the body.
Both Stallings and Peacock said that no one is accusing Parchert of theft, nor are they accusing her of misappropriating funds. It is how she spent the money without the approval of the body that’s at issue.
During Parchert’s tenure, she wrote $26,000 worth of checks, Stallings said. The biggest amount in that went to a company called Goliath for campaign materials.
Stallings added that any amount over $200 “has to be voted on by the body.”
“She wrote a check to herself in the amount of $265 on Oct.15, 2024,” Stallings added. “It was for a computer, but she still can’t write a check to herself. That’s a huge no-no.”
Parchert also wrote checks from the Republican Party to the Illinois Freedom Alliance, Stallings said.
Parchert said she did have the authority to spend the money and that it had been cleared by the body. The checks to IFA were to reimburse IFA for utilities since the two entities shared an office, she added.
Stallings said an audit of the books is underway.
Additionally, Peacock and Stallings said Parchert was negligent in reporting several donations in a timely manner,leading to fines against the organization
Parchert said that at that time the treasurer was ill.
“We tried for three months to get somebody to step up for the treasurers’ duties,” she said.
Peacock said he has tried numerous times to contact Parchert and set up a meeting, but all he has received in return is vitriolic emails from Parchert and another of her colleagues.
Republican Rock Island County Board member Rod Simmer, who supported Peacock, said that Parchert has too many irons in the fire and is “reporting to too many masters.”
“She needs to take IFA and run with that,” Simmer said. “I’m fine if she would just serve IFA.”
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