A recent rift involving Trumbull County Commissioner Niki Frenchko this time was not with her colleagues on the board of county commissioners. Rather, it was with her own political party.

After a dispute at Trumbull County Republican Party headquarters in late October, the party’s officers formally censured Frenchko, banning her and her campaign literature from the building.

The decision was extraordinary, and possibly unprecedented, particularly involving a countywide elected Republican officeholder.

Trumbull County Republican Party secretary Marleah Campbell told our politics reporter that the incident began when Frenchko did not adhere to newly enacted rules banning photography inside party headquarters during a petition-signing event.

“Niki has a habit of using her phone as a weapon against people,” Campbell said.

Campbell and the party is not the first person to criticize Frenchko’s incessant use of her cellphone.

County employees, fellow elected employees and even a federal court judge has criticized the commissioner for the childish action.

To be fair, Frenchko maintains that others used their phones inside, but only she was singled out.

When a disagreement ensued, the police were called for a “disturbance.”

When officers arrived, Frenchko left the building without incident.

A few days later, party officers met to censure Frenchko.

They adopted a resolution stating Frenchko broke party bylaws by embarking “on a campaign of criticism and disparaging remarks against the Republican Party, its members, officers and candidates publicly via email and social media,” and “has engaged in actions not befitting a Republican officer or representative of the Republican Party.”

As a result of the action, the local party will end all support of Frenchko as a party member and candidate for public office “as a result of her ongoing behavior and actions which have been destructive in nature and have adversely affected the Republican Party, its members, officers and candidates.”

Going forward, the party also will not mention Frenchko on slate cards, should she win the Republican primary.

Frenchko responded by questioning whether the action was even permissible, saying they should have included the executive committee in the decision. She also went on to criticize the party as “mean, petty and spiteful” and “an embarrassment.”

We find it ironic that Frenchko consistently demands that county commissioners and county employees follow both Ohio law and county policies and procedures to the letter, without exception, but then doesn’t adhere to the rules.

For example, Frenchko this week berated Trumbull County Dog Warden Michelle Goss for taking steps to ensure dogs typically housed in outdoor pens at the county dog pound were relocated to interior pens at the Animal Welfare League facility in Vienna when temperatures turned frigid. Frenchko was angry with Goss who had taken initiative, saying the employee did not have authority to enter into contracts without formal approval from commissioners due to the potential for liability when contracts are done without the opinion from the county prosecutor’s office or commissioners.

“There needs to be some training for some of our staff,” Frenchko said. “It sounds like what was done may have been a wonderful thing, but it needed to be done properly. I forwarded the email to the prosecutor’s office to make sure things are being done correctly.”

We completely agree that these types of contracts must be reviewed and formally approved.

But, in this instance, that wasn’t even the case.

The dog warden had sent an email to commissioners to brief them on the issue. Although the email stated the dog pound is renting the 10 pods, Goss verbally clarified that no written agreement was signed between AWL and the Trumbull County Dog pound.

This miscommunication could have been headed off easily with a simple conversation. Why didn’t Frenchko just call Goss and ask her about it before firing off the email to the prosecutor’s office and then criticizing the employee for taking initiative that should have been commended?

What we are saying is everyone should follow established rules. If there is reason to disagree, then voice that opinion, but don’t simply break the rules to send a message.

We hate that incidents involving Frenchko often end with such anger and frustration. Many devolve to name- calling and, yes, legal action.

It is unfortunate that the party that always should be in the corner with its members instead felt it had no other recourse and needed to take this stand. But we have a hard time believing party officials would take such drastic and unprecedented measures like this if they weren’t warranted.