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Public demands accountability over social-media post and county contracts; counsel says county must defend juvenile-abuse suits
Summary
Several speakers asked the board to censure or remove Commissioner Williams over a social-media post; county counsel and other commissioners defended her. County counsel said the firm Cleary Jacoby was retained to defend two lawsuits alleging abuse at the county juvenile detention center because a state law extended the statute of limitations.
Multiple members of the public urged the Board of County Commissioners to respond to a social-media post attributed to Commissioner Rebecca Williams, with several speakers calling for clarification and some asking that she step down. Commissioner Williams responded in the meeting, saying the meme in question did not name an individual and defending the right to expression on personal social media.
Carlos Santos told the board he was "disturbed" by a post he said read, in part, "death of a racist POS by gun violence" and asked the board to confirm whether Commissioner Williams had authored the material and to publicly disavow remarks that demean a murder victim. Brian Lopez, who identified himself as a former police detective, and Mark Nieves, a Republican candidate for county commissioner, also criticized the post and called for accountability.
Commissioner Williams said memes circulate and that the image in question did not name an individual; she emphasized First Amendment protections and said she would continue to speak her mind. Several commissioners — including Kowalski, Mirabella, Granados, Bodek, and Baker — publicly expressed support for Commissioner Williams during their remarks, saying they know her record and work as a public servant.
The public also raised county-contract and legal-cost concerns during the same comment period. Bruce Patterson questioned reported legal spending and large contract increases, including a cited jump in an engineering contract (CME) from $4 million to $7.2 million and a separate contract item that public commenters described as increasing to $760,000.
On legal defense matters, County Counsel Burkin told the board that the firm (Cleary Jacoby) was being retained by the county to defend two lawsuits from former juveniles alleging abuse at the county—s juvenile detention center, which has been closed for years. Burkin said the suits were permitted by a recent state law extending the statute of limitations and that some claims reach back decades. "They are an experienced law firm. They will properly represent the county, and, we're defendants, so we have no choice but to defend," Burkin said.
The board did not take disciplinary action against any commissioner during the meeting; members who spoke publicly backed Williams and emphasized her record of service.
