JACKSONVILLE — An elected representative of the Cherokee County Republican Party has been asked to step down from his position, according to organization members.

Cherokee County Republican Party County Chairman Steven Looney has received at least one confirmed request for resignation.

“I have not personally myself asked him to, but I know members of the club have asked him to,” said Danny Morris, president of the Cherokee County Republican Club and elected member of the party’s executive committee. “We have had members who have contacted our state representative and our state senator and the state party, to provide their input to Mr. Looney.”

Morris said the requests for Looney to relinquish the position, to which he was elected in 2010, are a result of information regarding his resignation from a position with Adult Protective Services in Jacksonville.

Looney resigned from the position in December 2010 amidst allegations of misconduct, which included soliciting sexual favors from a client and billing APS for services which clients never received, according to documents received by the Daily Progress.

The Daily Progress made multiple attempts during the last week to contact Looney in reference to this story. However, all were unanswered.

Texas Sen. Robert Nichols, District 3, declined to comment and representatives from his office said they had not received any correspondence relating to Looney.

“(Nichols) said he really didn’t want to comment on party matters right now,” said Nichols’ Press Secretary Alicia Pierce.

Texas Rep. Chuck Hopson, District 11, said he was not aware of the situation.

“I haven’t talked to Danny (Morris) or anybody about it,” he said.

Hopson said he was focused on dealing with the state’s budget issues recently and he would pay more attention to local politics after the session’s close.

Within the state party, officials said they were aware of complaints in Cherokee County, but did not want to comment.

“I’ve heard there was a situation out there that people were unsatisfied with the county chair, but I don’t have any details,” said Spokesman Chris Elam. “The Party doesn’t have any comment on that situation.”

District Attorney Elmer Beckworth said Looney has not been formally charged with a crime and nothing has come to the attention of his office regarding the accusations of misconduct.

A party member said the accusations were disturbing, though.

“He wasn’t proven guilty or not, but he resigned and that’s a good indication,” said Frank Primeaux, who emailed Looney asking for him to step down. “That’s not the kind of person I want leading the Republican Party.”

Currently there is “no legal recourse” which can be taken to remove a county chair from the position, according to Elam.

That may not be the case forever, though.

The House Elections Committee considered House Bill 2725 earlier this week, “relating to the removal of a political party’s county chair,” according to the committee’s website.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, applies to both Republican and Democratic parties.

Fisher’s bill came about around the time Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Don Ramos was accused of making “bigoted remarks,” as described by Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie.

Morris said no responses had been received so far and neither the club nor the party had officially requested Looney’s resignation.

“We are not going to have the club or the officers of the club asking for it (resignation),” he said. “If you, as an individual, are concerned, then express it to him (Looney).”

Primeaux said Looney’s retention of the position won’t impact his participation in the party.

“Just because it’s not going my way doesn’t mean it’s not a good party,” he said.

Morris said he felt, given the circumstances surrounding Looney’s resignation from APS, he was not appropriate for the chairman position.

“We have worked too hard to build the party over the last eight or nine years, which is when our first Republican in the county got elected, to have such immoral behavior being spotlighted from the leader of the party,” he said.