COLVILLE – A local radio host is calling on Stevens County to take the first step in “reclaiming the republic” under a committee that would review the U.S. Constitution.
But the plan remains stalled as commissioners struggle to agree on bylaws to formally create the group.
“The annals of history are being written, my friends, and everybody will see who did what, whether they stood up for the Constitution or whether they rolled over,” G.R. Mobley told county commissioners during a Sept. 16 meeting.
Mobley, Spokane radio host for a program called “Reclaiming the Republic” and retired U.S. Marine, has spent more than a decade presenting his idea to counties across the country through podcasts, presentations and YouTube videos.
Based on documents and emails obtained by The Spokesman-Review and Spokane Public Radio, Mobley states the goal is to bring appointed residents together to study the Constitution, review how it has been applied and petition elected officials under the First Amendment when they believe those principles are being ignored.
“I think the good people of Stevens County need to know that there may be elected officials that are not willing to do their job, and this is exactly what that committee will prove to you,” he said during the commissioner meeting. “It will actually take all these myths, these lies and this deception and clarify everything for you so that you literally can become the leaders on this concept of constitutional compliance.”
Mobley isn’t alone in hoping to make this happen in Stevens County. Former Commissioner Wes McCart and Franklin County resident Michelle Andres have also joined the effort. McCart said the three of them have been leading meetings to move the idea forward.
Documents show that on Nov. 26, commissioners quietly approved a resolution to form what is being called a “Constitutional Review Assembly.” The move drew little notice at the time but has since raised questions, as it came just weeks before McCart left office after losing his seat to Monty Stobart.
“I’ve heard a few people say, ‘Well, you’re doing this so you can throw people out of office who don’t agree with you’ – and that’s not the intent of it,” McCart said.
McCart, who now lives in Franklin County, said Mobley had pitched the idea to him for several years but changed his perspective in the final year of his term.
“Having met with (Mobley) and looked at the documents, it’s not like something he crafted. He’s basically a historian presenting the record,” McCart said. “His point is that county governments, as the level closest to the people, should understand what’s in the Constitution, what isn’t, and what role the state plays.”
He added that Stobart also questioned the validity of his stance within the committee.
“One of the questions came up from the guy who replaced me, going, and this is a little bit hearsay, but well, ‘Wes did this on his way out. So, is it even valid?’ Well, absolutely, it’s valid,” McCart said.
“It was done in an open, public meeting. We’d been talking about it for months. You serve until the end of your term, right? It’s not like we did it on Dec. 31 or we hadn’t talked about it for months,” he continued.
Stobart did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
An email also shows that Stevens County Auditor Lori Larsen reported the resolution wasn’t on the agenda or in the minutes. Any discussions on the Constitutional Review Assembly weren’t recorded until nearly a month later in December 2024, she stated in the email. She alleged the commission’s vote violated the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.
“As an interested party, I would assert all of this occurred in violation of OPMA. It remains a violation, even though there was an agenda and a motion in December, because they did not speak to the erroneous passage in their minutes, nor pass a new resolution (which also contains various typos) with an appropriate date,” Larsen said in an email to Senit Lutgen, Stevens County prosecuting attorney.
Larsen said in an interview she believes the current county government structure already works well, with constituents able to contact all three commissioners regarding local issues.
“I don’t believe that the county is in a position to be creating additional work for our county commissioners or additional costs when every part of county government is cutting staff, laying off people, and limiting services to only what is statutorily required,” Larsen said.
Committee documents outline potential expenses, including training, meeting resources and mileage reimbursement. Costs could reach $2,600 a year per the two administrators that would be appointed.
However, Andres said the group doesn’t have to require payment if the commissioners don’t want to, especially since the county has financial concerns. She noted Commissioner Greg Young had brought up that concern beforehand.
“It’s just gonna cost you a place to meet physically and maybe virtually, either one, and a place to store records, physically and virtually. That’s it.” Andres said.
“You’re telling me you don’t have a couple file cabinets in there, or one drawer, half a drawer? That’s not going to cost the county anything.”
Mobley wrote in an email to the Stevens County commissioners that the farthest any of the states had gone to appointing a committee was in Wyoming, where it passed the House and died in the Senate.
Andres said a total of 12 counties in Washington state are interested in implementing a Constitutional Review Assembly. She declined to comment further.
However, McCart said those counties include Yakima and Douglas and others on the West Side of Washington.
“We are not here to puff anyone up nor tear anyone down. We are only here to get to the ground truth of what our government is, what it should be doing, and how to correct it when it falters,” Mobley said in an email to commissioners. “… We’re here to help, and we’re not from the government.”
