Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The matter of Clerk of Court Kirk Reams’ combined contributions of $10,000 to two private organizations using public funds roiled parts of the Jefferson County Commission meeting on Thursday evening, Oct 21.
A copy of one of the two checks – the $5,000 contribution to the Jefferson County Republican Party for sponsorship of a recent political dinner where the governor was the quest speaker – was included in the agenda package and set for discussion early in the meeting.
Asked his legal opinion of the board’s jurisdiction over the matter, County Attorney Scott Shirley offered that the expenditures were within the clerk’s prerogative and it was the latter’s responsibility to determine their appropriateness. Whether the commission considered the clerk’s action right or wrong had no bearing on the matter, as the board had no supervisory jurisdiction over the clerk, Shirley said.
Reams addressed the issue head-on, reading from a prepared statement, wherein he apologized for any role that he had played in casting the county in a poor light. That had never been his intention, Reams said.
In his 14 years in office, Reams said, he had worked side by side with many different iterations of the board. And while he and the board hadn’t always agreed on what was best for the county or the methods for achieving it, they had more often than not disagreed agreeably, he said. “In light of our current political climate, I should have recognized from the onset about how advertising at a political event where our Florida governor attended in Jefferson County would be divisive,” Reams said. “Although our county’s elected positions are partisan, per the Florida Constitution, I’ve always strived to represent everyone with the job that I do. I felt bringing a sitting governor to Jefferson County would be in the best interest of our community as a whole.”
That said, Reams added that the Jefferson County Executive Committee had decided to reimburse his office the $5,000 for the table advertisement and sponsorship. He never mentioned the contribution to the Aucilla Chapter of Ducks Unlimited.
Paul Henry, a citizen who regularly speaks at commission meetings, agreed with Shirley that the board had little say in the matter, based on what he called a similar complaint that he had filed against the mayor of Tallahassee over a situation involving the purchase of software with taxpayers’ funds.
“However, if the allegations are proven true, in my opinion, it would constitute official misconduct, which is a crime in Florida,” Henry said.
Another citizen, Russ Rothman, expressed surprise and outrage upon learning of the two contributions, saying that he had been unable to imagine a public officer doing such a thing.
As for the board’s responsibility, Rothman said it had to be understood that the clerk was the clerk of county commissioners and the custodian and recorder of all the county funds.
His question to the board, he said, was whether the board wanted the custodian of all county funds to stay in place when he did something such as Reams had done.
“Whichever pot of money it’s taken from, it affects the whole county,” Rothman said.
The law, he said, clearly stated that no public official should corruptly use any public property or resources to secure privilege or benefit. Given that the money to the Republican Party had served to obtain recognition, valet parking, drinks, etc., there had definitely been personal benefit, he said.
“I would ask that you refer this to the state auditor general, commission on ethics and the governor,” Rothman said. “Mr. Reams knows what the governor can do because he has been removed by a governor before.”
Rothman said that he had previously advocated for Reams when the governor had suspended him, thinking that the punishment had been excessive. In this instance, however, he didn’t think that removal would be excessive, he said.
As for the Republican Party giving back the money, Rothman said it had no bearing on the issue. Were he to rob a bank and later repent and return the money, he doubted that the Sheriff “would let him walk”, he said.
Dan Pruitt, chairman and president of Aucilla Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, said he felt compelled to clear air of rhetoric and rumor, seeing that his organization had been discussed at the commissioner’s last meeting and lambasted in the newspaper and on social media.
Reams, he said, had accepted no form of gifts, kickbacks, perks or trips from his organization. Reams’ involvement, he said, had been strictly to drop off educational and advertising materials.
The donation, moreover, had gone to benefit military veterans, first responders and other members of the community, he said, adding that Reams had not even attended the fundraiser.
“As far as how this event and organization benefits our community, which also has been called into question in the media and through different statements given to the media, I’ll clear the air,” Pruitt said. “Ducks Unlimited is not just a duck-hunting club, it’s far from that.”
He went on to describe his organization as a nonprofit that worked to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for waterfowl. Which habitats, he said, benefited other wildlife as well as people.
Additionally, he said, the organization participated in many community events and sponsored programs to educate the local youths on conservation, preservation and hunter safety, among other things.
“I am very disappointed in the fact of how much media attention this has gained without all the facts coming to the table,” Pruitt said. “This has spun wildly out of control before we could sit here and have this meeting. Multiple news articles, multiple social media posts and a ton of back and forth has done nothing but fuel divisiveness, or divisions between two parties.”
The discussion on the Reams’ matter ceased after Pruitt’s comments. Toward the very end of the meeting, however, a citizen reintroduced the topic during the public comment period. Hopkins Thompson accused Reams of wrongdoing. He said that Reams had to go and accuse the board of covering up for the clerk.
“You haven’t satisfied the taxpayers,” Thompson said. “This is wrong and you know it. This is taxpayers’ money that he used.”
Chairman Stephen Walker told Thompson that his comments were out of order and asked him to cease. When Thompson continued, Lieutenant Gerald Knecht, who was substituting for Sheriff Mac McNeill, stepped to the podium and motioned for Thompson to sit.
“I’ve got a right to speak,” Thompson said. “All I’m doing is asking questions. This man broke the law.”
At which point, Knecht escorted Thompson from the podium.
C.P. Miller next addressed the board, decrying Thompson’s treatment. In his decades of attending board meetings, it was the first time that he had seen an officer escort a citizen from the podium, Miller said. There had been many instances where he had witnessed speakers get out of control at the podium, he said. But never had he seen a citizen denied the right to speak, he said.
Miller asked the board not to choose who could and could not have access to the microphone.
“I don’t like it,” he said. “I support you treating everybody fair.”
Commissioner Betsy Barfield had the last word on the issue. She asked Reams if he would be willing to have his office undergo a forensic audit, which she called a deep dive into the office’s financial records.
Reams said he would welcome such audit, and there the discussion ended.
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