County Commissioner Lee Jones appeared to mock County Clerk Nicole Browne on-camera during a commissioner meeting on Zoom Monday which led to community outrage.
During a discussion between County Commission President Julie Thomas and Browne regarding issues with flooding in June damaging electronic poll books, Jones’ camera turned on. Others in the meeting witnessed her mouthing what many allegedly believe was ridicule aimed at Browne.
Browne said in a statement she initially didn’t think much of the incident but became aware of Jones’ alleged mocking after colleagues reached out.
A handful of local activists and political organizations responded to the clip, scrutinizing Jones. Jones responded to the claims in a B Square Bulletin article, saying she was addressing her cat she alleges was playing with the yarn Jones was holding on-screen. She said her cat knocked the yarn onto the computer, turning on her camera.
Many groups are rejecting this statement, labeling it as a poor excuse to cover her misconduct. BLM-Btown said in an email they want Jones to publicly acknowledge her actions and resign as county commissioner.
“It is clear she is not capable of giving the most basic level of courtesy to Clerk Browne, something that you and your ilk seem to be so big on except when it has to do with Black women,” BLM-Btown said in an email. “She needs to go.”
The Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus shared their disdain with the situation in a statement on Facebook Tuesday. In the statement, the organization said they disapprove of Jones’ actions, especially since it is during the discussions of voting rights and elections which is one of the organization’s key issues.
“The more I watched it, the more I believed that she disrespected Browne,” William Hosea, Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus chairman, said.
Hosea said he would like to see her take responsibility for her actions and wishes for this matter to be resolved quickly.
“At this point, I’m hoping we can go ahead and put this past us and move forward and get back to the people’s business,” Hosea said.
According to previous meeting recordings regarding the upcoming 2022 election cycle, Jones and Browne have had contentious arguments. Jones said she felt Browne was implying she had lied about her past work in local elections in an Oct. 6 weekly work session. Browne said in the meeting she simply couldn’t locate the records of her past work and was not implying Jones was a liar.
