Maltby resident Greg Stephens wants Snohomish County Councilman Jeff Sax's spot on the Republican ticket in the fall.

Problem is, party leaders don't believe he's a Republican.

Stephens passed out cards during last week's party caucuses, announcing his intent to seek the District 5 seat that Sax holds. But GOP officials, including the county party's chairman, Steve Neighbors, say he comes up in their logbooks as a staunch Democrat.

Unless Stephens, who heads the Little Bear Creek Protective Association, can find another Republican to vouch for him, he won't be allowed to speak when the county's GOP meets June 18 to back candidates.

Stephens' major strike against him is the fact he posted a political sign in his yard four years ago supporting Democrat Dave Somers. Sax beat Somers, then the incumbent, for the council seat. Somers is expected to run again for the Democrats.

Stephens defends the sign decision, saying that despite his conservative views, he's never supported Sax.

"I feel disappointed now at these attitudes because in my 35 years of being a Republican, I've always thought the party was large enough a place to tolerate a diversity of opinion," he said. "It's not a private club to serve people with narrow interpretations of the issues."

Sax dismisses the dispute as "just a distraction."

"I'm trying to get the attention of the voters on the issues," he said. "If someone else is running, that's fine."

The Snohomish County Republican Party, which keeps tabs on voters' preferences through phone surveys, has Stephens listed as a steadfast Democrat.

"[Stephens] knows that we can't just let anyone say they're Republican," Neighbors said. "We can't have a Democrat speaking at the Republican convention; he wouldn't win anyway."

Stephens said he publicly announced his political stance in the 1960s by campaigning for presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, working as a Republican fund-raiser in 1968 and 1969 in Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif.

But payroll records that would verify that employment haven't been located, and it's uncertain if they still exist, Stephens said.

Stephens also said he doorbelled for GOP County Council candidate Pam Pruitt before the 2001 primary. Though Pruitt vouches for Stephens' work ethic, she can't say whether he's a true Republican.

"I've never talked to Greg about his politics, but I knew at the time that he was thinking of running as a Republican," she said. "I'm not disputing Greg — he was great to work with — but we had people helping us across the board."

Still, Pruitt says, Stephens is the kind of person the county's Republicans should support in the future.

"I certainly hope the party scoops him up," she said. "He's the type of candidate they should be fielding."

That still may not be enough to get Stephens a seat at the June 18 county convention.

"It's an interesting dilemma we find ourselves in," Neighbors said. "But with so few people at the caucus knowing who he was, I'm not sure there's anyone there to vote for him anyway."

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com