Beaufort County meeting turns testy on social media conduct, ABC director remarks, and college club politics

A sequence of smaller agenda items produced unusually sharp exchanges among commissioners and between commissioners and staff. Commissioner Stan Deatherage raised concerns about social‑media conduct by government‑linked board members and employees and asked whether county policy should restrict what appointees post; staff reminded the Board that county personnel policies already cover county employees but that the county has no authority over independent entities such as the ABC Board.

Commissioner Hood Richardson moved to send a notice of condemnation to the director of the Beaufort ABC for public comments critical of county officials; the motion drew immediate pushback from colleagues who said the county lacks authority over the ABC director’s independent employer and warned about free‑speech questions. The board recorded the motion and votes in the minutes. Later in the meeting Commissioner Richardson introduced a resolution asking whether the Board supported advertising of an LGBTQ+ student group at Beaufort County Community College; the item sparked a vociferous exchange among commissioners about inclusion, library grants and the proper use of public money. The discussion illustrated the meeting’s more political tone and reflected deep differences on the dais.