The Trumbull County Republican Party has sought to remove Niki Frenchko as its auxiliary chairwoman since her election to the post three years ago — and will attempt to do it again at a July 15 meeting.

Party officers sent Frenchko, a former county commissioner, a June 18 letter requesting her resignation as auxiliary chairwoman — and from the executive committee — citing a list of supposed party bylaws infractions.

Frenchko said she refuses to resign prompting the party officers to call the July 15 special meeting of the central committee to vote on her removal. If Frenchko is booted, the central committee would immediately hold a second special meeting to replace her as auxiliary chairwoman.

At least two-thirds of those attending the July 15 meeting would have to vote to remove Frenchko under the party’s bylaws. At least 28 members have to attend for there to be a quorum.

Among the accusations against Frenchko is “assaulting a fellow officer at an officers meeting with four eyewitnesses present.”

At that Feb. 4 meeting, largely to discuss a procedural error in the appointment of Robert Carr to the county board of elections, the officers in attendance accused Frenchko of throwing two lemons at Marleah Campbell, the party’s secretary, with one hitting her in the chest.

Frenchko strongly denied throwing the lemons.

Howland police were called, and no charges were filed.

Party Chairwoman Julia Shutt said: “I witnessed it and I know the board felt unsafe and don’t want to sit in a room with her.”

David Betras, Frenchko’s attorney, sent the Trumbull Republican Party a letter saying that by accusing his client of a crime, the party committed “libel.”

Betras, a former Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman, wrote: “I would relish the opportunity to sue the Trumbull County Republican Party. It is also my understanding that in addition to the libel, you slandered my client by expressing that she committed a crime. This is also (considered) slander per se. I suggest you immediately stop further libel and slander against my client.”

He added: “If you have the funds to defend a winning lawsuit, well, we could do that. I have a license to sue and I am willing to use it. Or the other option is to retract that she committed a crime and send it to everyone the libel was expressed to as well as the slander.”

Frenchko, who was elected unopposed as auxiliary chairwoman at a June 10, 2022, central committee meeting, said she won’t resign.

“I was elected to the position,” she said. “Do I think it’s fun dealing with these people? No. But the Republican Party isn’t just feuding factions of self-interested people. There are regular constitutional conservatives and independent-thinking Republicans who have no idea about the ridiculous politics of the party.”

She added: “They’ve been trying to get rid of me for three years and defaming me the whole time.”

While Republicans enjoyed historic success in the 2022 and 2024 elections — winning every contested race on both ballots in the once-Democratic stronghold — the party itself has experienced considerable dysfunction during that time with two factions wrestling for control.

Shutt beat Campbell by a single vote on a second ballot on Dec. 3 to win the chair. Shutt said she wanted to unite the party, but that has failed.

Shutt is serving a four-year term that was initially Kenneth Kline’s when he was elected June 10, 2022. Mike Bollas and two interim chairs have also served during the term.

The party has seen multiple other officers resign.

There were those in the party who immediately objected to Frenchko serving as a party officer back in 2022 because of a bylaw that states elected officers “must be registered Republicans for four consecutive years.” Frenchko drew a nonparty ballot in 2018 and was elected county commissioner as a Republican in 2020.

Shutt said Frenchko’s lack of four years as a registered Republican before her selection as auxiliary chairwoman is one of the main reasons for seeking her ouster, but it’s not listed on the letter asking for her resignation.

The central committee met May 17 to remove Frenchko from the position over the registered Republican issue. At that meeting, Shutt ruled Frenchko didn’t meet the requirements and unilaterally removed her.

But at a June 5 executive committee meeting, James Dunlap, the party’s first vice chairman, said Shutt’s decision to remove Frenchko wasn’t proper and the party agreed to rescind the May 17 vote.

Shutt said she didn’t necessarily agree with Dunlap’s statements, but agreed to hold the July 15 meeting.

Frenchko said the party officers called the meeting to remove her when she was out of the country.

Police body-camera footage of Shutt at the Feb. 4 party officers’ meeting in which an officer was called has her saying she doesn’t have the authority to remove Frenchko as auxiliary chairwoman. In the footage, Shutt and Campbell pointed to their written statements to an officer about the incident saying it would be helpful toward removing Frenchko as auxiliary chairwoman.

The June 18 letter to Frenchko asking for her resignation also states she is being removed because she’s been absent from central, executive and officers’ meetings for the past three months after being notified of these meetings with no correspondence regarding her absence.

Frenchko said she was removed from a group text of party officers after the Feb. 4 meeting and the party is supposed to notify its members by mail about meetings, which it hasn’t done.

Shutt said of Frenchko: “I don’t see a level of interest from her. I need the position filled with someone who wants to work with me and not badmouth me.”

Until December, Frenchko also was excluded from officers’ meetings for about a year prior.

Shutt also removed Frenchko on Feb. 7 from the party’s candidate recruitment committee.

In what was then a sign of unity, Shutt welcomed Frenchko back to party officers’ meetings.

The party’s officers on Oct. 26, 2023, formally censured Frenchko and banned her and her campaign literature from Republican headquarters. Frenchko had a photo with a then-elected official at headquarters taken days earlier at a party event. Frenchko pointed out that others were using their cellphones and she was singled out.

At a Feb. 10, 2024, central committee meeting, members voted in favor of rescinding Frenchko’s censure and other actions taken against her by party officers.