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Residents demand action after Rock County employee’s social post praising Charlie Kirk killing
Summary
Multiple Rock County residents criticized a county employee’s social media post celebrating the killing of Charlie Kirk and urged the Board of Supervisors to enforce personnel policies; no formal disciplinary action was announced during the meeting.
Dozens of Rock County residents used the board’s public-comment period to call for the termination of a county employee after an attendee said the employee posted online celebrating the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
The comments centered on the remarks allegedly posted by an employee identified in public comment as Heather Buchholtz. Antonio Nunez, a Janesville resident, told the board he was “shocked and disappointed” and read what he said were the employee’s social-media remarks: “I’ll ******* celebrate it. A man who basically didn't give a **** about hundreds of kids being murdered because guns are worth it. Getting shot to death is the most poetic justice ever. **** that guy. Literally do not give a **** that he die.”
Why it matters: commenters said the post violates county conduct rules and erodes public trust in county employees. Several speakers cited county personnel policy 1.02, which they said requires employees to “demonstrate professional, competent, and reasonable behavior” on and off duty, and they urged consistent enforcement.
Residents pressed for an explicit disciplinary response. “I demand disciplinary action must be taken, namely the termination of this employee,” Nunez told supervisors. Sheila Williams, Lisa Burnside and others echoed that call, saying the employee’s conduct “severely erodes the public's trust” and conflicts with the county’s expectations for staff behavior. Williams cited “policy 1.03” and Burnside referenced Ordinance 18.608, saying it “prohibits being disrespectful or bullying in dealing with the general public.”
Several speakers linked the issue to broader concerns about consistency of enforcement. “By failing to enforce your code of conduct policies and personnel ordinances now, you are setting a precedent,” Sheila Williams told the board, urging the county administrator to provide “a full accounting … as to why a clear violation of your policies has been ignored.”
Board response and status: The speakers’ remarks and the transcript show no formal personnel action or vote by the Board during the meeting. Commenters repeatedly asked the board to act; no disciplinary outcome was announced on the record during the session.
Details and context: Speakers came from several Rock County municipalities and repeatedly emphasized that their comments targeted conduct, not advocacy generally. The public-comment segment began with Antonio Nunez and continued through multiple speakers, including Angel Rodriguez, Britney Ingalls, Michael Ingalls, Dennis Wendt, Craig Keller, Lisa Burnside and others, all urging consistent enforcement of county policies. Several speakers noted the posts were public and not protected by any internal-only channel.
What’s next: The public record in this meeting contains citizens’ requests for action and citations to county personnel policies and an ordinance. The transcript does not record any formal direction to staff or an announced discipline outcome; it does not record a motion, vote or referral related to the complaints.
Ending: The board moved to the next agenda item after the public-comment period. If supervisors take formal steps later (for example, a human-resources inquiry, a referral to the county administrator, or a closed-session personnel review), those actions would appear in future meeting minutes or statements from county staff.
