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Public commenter urges Commissioner Harris to resign over remote participation; commissioners voice support
Summary
During public comment at the April 14 Montgomery County Commission meeting, William Boyd urged the board to rescind a resolution allowing Commissioner Dan Harris to participate and vote via Zoom, saying it’s unfair to constituents; several commissioners publicly defended Harris and praised his recent public appearances.
At the start of public comment on April 14, William Boyd told the Montgomery County Commission he was troubled to see Commissioner Dan Harris participating remotely and urged the commission to rescind the resolution permitting Zoom representation.
"I was told that he no longer have to attend the county commissioner meeting in person because you guys voted for such action to give him special privileges to represent the people via Zoom ... If he can't serve, then he need to step up or he need to step down," Boyd said, accusing the board of allowing a commissioner to be paid for work he does not perform in the chamber.
Commissioners responded in public remarks later in the meeting by expressing support for Harris. Commissioner Castanza praised Harris’s remarks at the recent community center groundbreaking and Commissioner Moore Ziggler thanked staff for their work and noted Dan Harris’s improving health, wishing him a happy birthday. Commissioner Harris himself thanked colleagues and community members and said his health is improving.
The transcript records no motion or formal action to change the county’s remote-participation policy during the meeting. The public comment and the commissioners’ subsequent remarks occurred during the scheduled public-comment and recognition portions of the agenda; the board moved on to the scheduled business items after the statements.
What happens next: Boyd’s request to rescind the remote-participation resolution was not acted on during the meeting; any change to the policy would require a separate agenda item and a formal vote by the commission.
