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Commissioners accuse presiding commissioner of politicizing agenda after award removal
Summary
A heated exchange erupted after commissioners said the presiding commissioner requested that a citizen's award presentation be removed from the agenda because the recipient is running for office; the presiding commissioner said he asked to reschedule due to the proximity of an election.
A contentious exchange broke out at the Clay County Commission meeting when several commissioners said the presiding commissioner asked that Jennifer Justice be removed from the agenda ahead of an award presentation because she is running against him.
Commissioner Johnson raised the issue during approval of the agenda, saying he was told the presiding commissioner had the item removed "for political reasons." Commissioner Withington later addressed the chair directly, saying, "You are hypocritical, you are unethical, and it needs to stop," and demanded an apology to Justice before the meeting continued. The presiding commissioner denied removing her from the commissions and said he had asked for the presentation to be scheduled for another date because of the election's proximity.
The dispute led to procedural back-and-forth about speaking order and ultimately to an apology offered by Commissioner Johnson during the meeting: "I just wanna apologize. I think this is an embarrassment. I wanna apologize to Jennifer and her family." Multiple other commissioners expressed regret that the matter had occurred on the dais and encouraged that the award be presented at another time to ensure Justice's family could attend.
The exchange did not result in any formal disciplinary action during the meeting. Commissioners used the episode to urge public engagement in the upcoming election and to emphasize civility; one commissioner urged residents to "get out and vote." The removal of the award was discussed alongside a separate motion to remove a discussion item related to 144th Street (see separate coverage).
