“A 74-year-old Michigan woman filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against a county commissioner who flashed a rifle at her during a virtual public meeting,” The Hill reported on April 12, 2021. Read story here.
Back in March 2020, Commissioner Ron Clous (photo, left), a Republican, invited Proud Boys to speak at a commission meeting — by itself provocative in a county evenly divided between Republican and Democratic voters. But not really surprising, given the local newspaper describes county politics as “sharp-elbowed,” and Clous is an habitually incendiary figure in that tumultuous scene (see story here).
Among other things, the 4-3 Republican majority has moved the commission’s once-a-week meetings from 5:30 p.m. to 8 a.m., drawing complaints that working people wouldn’t be able to attend (see story here).
In January 2021, after several Proud Boys were arrested for their role in the Capitol riot, Keli MacIntosh (photo, right), a local activist, asked the commission to issue a statement denouncing the group.
At that point, Clous stepped away, then reappeared on camera smirking and brandishing a rifle. Although Clous wasn’t in a position to physically threaten MacIntosh, she interpreted it as bullying, and is now suing him for violating her First Amendment rights.
These shenanigans have nothing to do with running a county government, which even the GOP commissioners describe as a “service provider,” and their commission meetings usually are taken up by discussions of finances, budgets, taxes, and the like. These antics are political theater, pure and simple. It’s a grown man acting like a little kid.
You could also argue that in the current political climate, it’s reckless and dangerous. Part of MacIntosh’s lawsuit is based on the idea that such behavior by a public official legitimizes and encourages political violence, and MacIntosh’s legal complaint alleges she’s received threats since the incident.
Whether her legal claims go anywhere remains to be seen, but his behavior is no way to run a county government.