An extended public comment at the Putnam County Legislature meeting accused a legislative candidate and others of circulating a campaign mailer and social media posts that the speaker said unfairly targeted Black and LGBTQ residents and falsely implied Putnam Pride had received Putnam Arts Council grant funding.

The speaker told the Legislature the mailer and social posts had described Black residents and LGBTQ people as “second class citizens” and said organizers’ images were used without authorization. The speaker said Putnam Pride had not applied for or received Putnam Arts Council funding and explained that Putnam Pride had acted as a fiscal sponsor for an artist, receiving funds and passing them through to the artist, which the speaker said had been documented to the County.

The speaker asked the Legislature and its chair to “review the situation and take any action that is within your power” and said the campaign materials reflected “obvious racism and bias.” The speaker also asked for guidance on whether the Legislature could set policies for member conduct or censure members for public statements.

Chairwoman Sage acknowledged the comment and asked for adherence to the public-comment rules; other legislators noted that issues involving individual campaigns were not on the meeting agenda. Another member of the public, Brady Harris of North Hamlet, praised the Legislature’s bipartisan record on day-to-day votes and urged the public to notice that most agenda votes at the meeting were unanimous.

The comment highlights tension between campaign activity and county governance; the speaker urged the Legislature to consider whether internal guidelines or public statements should be used to address campaign conduct that residents say reflects on the body. No formal motion or censure was introduced during the meeting.