Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy is calling the actions of County employee, Jason Ground, against Supervisor Ally Miller an attack on the entire Pima County Board of Supervisors. Christy called Ground’s Facebook attack on Miller “deplorable, egregious, and reprehensible.”
Ground, who works as a “communications specialist,” called on supporters of a symbolic resolution banning Gay Conversion Therapy to show up to Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting and “shove her words down her throat.” Ground was referring to Miller’s Facebook post in which she expressed concern that the symbolic resolution was a violation of parental rights. She wrote, “I believe we should allow parents to decide how to raise their children.”
Miller’s concern for parents seemed to enrage Ground. He advised “friends” on the GENDERowdy Tucson Facebook page that as a County employee, he could not “safely say anything publicly, just in a private group like this,” when he called for the attack. He then posted, “Oh, and —- her.”
Miller’s concerned was based on information received from a Deputy County Attorney and an attorney for a religious rights group that the ban could land the County in legal trouble if a parent made a First Amendment violation claim.
Despite that warning, supervisors Sharon Bronson, Richard Elias, and Ramon Valadez forced a vote on the issue.
Miller and Christy voted against the ban, but neither expressed approval for the therapy. During the meeting, Miller discussed the legal advice the supervisors were given and Christy questioned the wisdom of using the taxpayers’ time and money on a merely symbolic but legally risky measure.
In his letter to his fellow supervisors, Christy, known for his soft-spoken and gentle demeanor, called for Ground to “take part in and be subject to every facet of the County’s disciplinary process.” Christy demanded that “all disciplinary actions taken as a result of this employee’s despicable behavior by his superiors must be documented, made public, and be completely transparent.”
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The Ground inspired attacks on Miller continued days after the vote. One man, who claimed to be Jim Click, called Miller’s office and “berated staff” and criticized Miller’s vote.
Another person, who identified himself as Joe Schmoe emailed Miller. He wrote, “So you don’t like when people speak out about you and your horrific hateful moronic discriminatory policies, and then when they do, you get them in trouble publicly. You’re just as bad as Trump is. Time to get you out of office.”
Miller had said nothing about Ground’s postings before or during the meeting. It wasn’t until the Arizona Daily Independent published the postings the day after the meeting that County officials took notice.
“This is not the first time this type of agenda driven activity has happened in the Pima County communications department,” said Miller on Thursday. “It is especially disturbing when these types of comments are being funded by the taxpayers of Pima County. I greatly appreciate the leadership and support of Supervisor Steve Christy and I hope this puts an end to these types of activities once and for all.”
The County Communications Department has been known to monitor Miller’s official and private Facebook pages daily. County staff, including County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, and Supervisor Sharon Bronson are reportedly the subject of an investigation for their use of County resources to campaign against Miller, Sheriff Mark Napier, and supervisor candidate Kim DeMarco in the 2016 election.
Huckelberry has attempted to go to extremes in his attack on Miller due to her watchdog status. In 2016, Deputy County Attorney Regina Nassen pleaded in an email to Huckelberry, to refrain from attacking Miller by blocking her from participation in the Board of Supervisors’ executive sessions.
As a result of the leaderships’ incessant attacks on Miller, many saw any discipline of Ground to be hypocritical, according to callers into the James T. Harris radio show on Thursday. Harris broke the news of Christy’s letter and called on listeners to contact the Board of Supervisors in support of Miller and Christy.
It was Bronson’s latest attack on Miller’s appointment to the Transportation Advisory Committee, morning radio show host Chris DeSimone that sparked charges of hypocrisy. Bronson launched into a rant accusing DeSimone, a frequent critic of the Board, of spreading “fake news.” Bronson and her crew, much like Trump, label as “fake news” nearly any damaging information about their antics.
According to sources, DeSimone has been encouraged to file a claim against Bronson for her malicious, slanderous, and uncivil attack.
On Thursday, the Arizona Daily Star reported that Ground “decided to delete his Facebook account of his own accord.” The Star reported that Communication Department director Mark Evans claimed he disciplined Ground. Ground will keep his job as one of the many vital Facebook monitors in the Department.