Leading up to Tuesday’s hearing on a proposed ban of fee-based sexual orientation conversion therapy for minors, county communications specialist Jason Ground encouraged members of a private Facebook group to attend and criticize Supervisor Ally Miller’s position on the matter.
“I believe we should allow parents to decide how to raise their children,” Miller wrote in a July 27 Facebook post. Hers was one of two votes at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting against the resolution that bans conversion therapy of minors for a fee in the county.
Referencing those comments, Ground encouraged members of the private Facebook group — which appears to have been shut down Wednesday — to “sign up to speak during the ‘call to the audience’ portion of the meeting and shove her words down her throat,” according to screenshots first published by the Arizona Daily Independent website.
“Working in county communications, I cannot safely say anything publicly, just in a private group like this,” Ground wrote. In a subsequent message containing an expletive, Ground wrote, “Oh, and ---- her.”
Ground’s posts were not visible as of mid-morning Wednesday, and around 11:30 a.m. the group was no longer publicly accessible. Ground declined to comment when contacted by the Star, though county communications manager Mark Evans confirmed he had made the comments.
Evans said Ground decided to delete his Facebook account of his own accord.
County employees are prohibited from using social media for personal reasons during business hours, according to Evans.
“We use social media here for county business,” Evans said of his department. “However, this wasn’t county business and, moreover, even though he was posting in a closed group he was still publicly criticizing the supervisor in an inappropriate way, and for both of those reasons he has been appropriately disciplined.”
On Wednesday morning, Evans declined to provide any details on that discipline, but confirmed that Ground is still employed in the communications office.
State law requires public bodies “to maintain all records that are reasonably necessary or appropriate to maintain an accurate knowledge of disciplinary actions.”
At the time of Evans' conversation with the Star, no such records had been produced, according to an email sent by Evans Thursday afternoon in response to a public records request. However, at the behest of County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, a letter of reprimand - intended to memorialize a discussion earlier in the day regarding Ground's "wrongful use of county resources" - was subsequently drafted and sent to Ground.
"As we discussed, the Communications Office provides an important public service for the County and our work receives a high level of scrutiny," the letter, which the county provided to the Star, reads. "It is vital we conduct ourselves professionally and treat all county employees and elected officials with respect."
"Your action has not only been an embarrassment for yourself but for this office and for the county," the letter continues, before warning Ground that similar or additional violations of county policy "will result in further discipline, including dismissal from county employment."
Additionally, Ground apologized to Miller for his criticism and use of profanity in a Wednesday afternoon email.
"It will not happen again," the email concludes.
Miller did not respond to requests for comment. The conversion therapy ordinance was approved with a 3-2 vote Tuesday, over the objections of Miller and Supervisor Steve Christy.
