Residents urge Madison County supervisors to condemn school board member’s social-media posts
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Summary
Multiple residents and local civic leaders told the Madison County Board of Supervisors that school board member Charlie Sheets’ recent social-media posts, described as anti-Muslim and racist, create legal and community risks and called on supervisors to publicly repudiate or censure him.
Multiple residents on Tuesday urged the Madison County Board of Supervisors to publicly condemn comments made by Madison County School Board member Charlie Sheets, saying the remarks are hateful, dangerous and damaging to the county’s reputation.
"He said that Muslims are evil. They want to kill all of us in America," said Cindy Taylor of Wolftown during public comment, adding the posts also included statements that Black people "can't achieve anything on their own." Taylor urged the five supervisors to "stand up" and say they do not support those remarks and to consider an interfaith response.
Pastor Frank Lewis of Antioch Baptist Church said the rhetoric "upsets" the community and urged county leaders to denounce it. "This is not what we stand for," Lewis said, connecting the comments to historical harms and urging officials to act to protect residents’ sense of safety and dignity.
Other speakers echoed Taylor and Lewis. Jeff Green of Wolftown called the posts "abhorrent" and asked the board to "publicly censure him," while Patricia Fry, a pediatrician, described the statements as "reprehensible" and said freedom of speech does not protect statements that create danger.
Not all public commenters called for punishment: Lee Perdom said Sheets has a right to free speech and warned against "cancel culture." Several other residents asked the board to use their voices to condemn the remarks even if they cannot remove a school board member from office.
Board members responded by noting limits to the supervisors’ authority over the independent school board. "The school board is a separate government entity," one supervisor said, noting the supervisors control the budget but not school-board personnel decisions. Several supervisors said they would consult county counsel to determine any appropriate actions or statements the board could make.
How the board will act next: supervisors said staff and counsel would receive the public submissions and that the issue would be considered further; no formal reprimand or censure vote occurred at Tuesday’s meeting.
Why it matters: Complainants tied the posts to potential reputational and legal risk for Madison County and argued the rhetoric could chill diversity and economic development. Several speakers referenced local Muslim and Black residents and asked county leaders to reaffirm commitments to inclusion and public safety.
Next steps: The board did not take a formal vote on censure at the meeting; supervisors said they would consult counsel and consider whether a public statement or other nonbinding action is appropriate.
