Resignation comes amid allegations of ‘bashing’ county commissioners in online comments
By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CENTREVILLE — St. Joseph County Road Commission board member Jack Coleman resigned from his position Friday following a Wednesday, July 16 agency meeting in which his alleged online conduct was questioned by St. Joseph County commissioners.
During public comment at the July 16 meeting, Third District Commissioner Rusty Baker, one of three county commissioners who attended the meeting, discussed alleged comments online denigrating county commissioners that were purportedly made by Coleman. Baker said the alleged comments came in the wake of some Open Meetings Act discussions that were had between the commissioners and the Road Commission board at their last meeting in early July.
“After the meeting, some people went and told me that a sitting member of this board was online bashing us on the internet,” Baker said. “Feel free to do whatever you want, but just remember: The next time you come looking for something, it might not always be there.”
While the specific commissioner was not named by Baker in his comments, Coleman quipped, “I didn’t bash anybody on the internet” a few seconds after Baker’s comment ended. Fifth District Commissioner Christina Yunker, who was also in attendance at the meeting and apparently was not aware of the situation prior to Baker’s comment, then remarked, “Oh, so it was you?” Coleman then said that he was the one “being accused.” Yunker then replied, “That’s unfortunate,” before asking whether the board’s makeup was determined by the county commissioners.
“I think the county commissioners put these people on this board, right?” Yunker said, to which she got a response in the affirmative from a board member. “Okay, good enough,” she said. Coleman did not provide any further comment during the board comment period.
Coleman was also observed talking with Baker and Yunker following the meeting, with Baker observed to have said that he had screenshots of the comments in question.
It was not made clear what the comments in question were and when and where they were made. When asked by the Commercial-News Thursday about the specific comments made that prompted him to speak out, Baker declined comment, saying that he would have to talk to a lawyer before making comment or providing alleged screenshots of the comments. On Monday, Baker said he didn’t wish to provide any screenshots or discuss the nature or content of Coleman’s alleged comments, citing Coleman’s resignation, and declined further comment.
When reached by the Commercial-News Monday, Coleman said his resignation “had nothing to do with” the alleged comments and “everything to do with something else that I’m not willing to talk about at this time.” When asked what the specific comments were that Baker was referring to in his public comment, Coleman claimed he did not know what comments those were.
A review of Coleman’s public Facebook posts on his personal page undertaken Thursday by the Commercial-News did not appear to have any posts in the last few weeks referencing county commissioners at the time. By Monday, Coleman’s public Facebook page was unable to be viewed by the Commercial-News.
In his resignation notice made via St. Joseph County’s website, obtained via Freedom of Information Act request by the Commercial-News Monday, Coleman stated his decision “was not made lightly,” calling serving as a road commissioner “a privilege and an opportunity to contribute to our community’s infrastructure and well-being,” and also requested a closed session with county commissioners to discuss “matters related to my resignation.”
“I believe this private discussion will allow for a clear and constructive dialogue regarding my departure and any relevant concerns,” Coleman wrote.
During board comments, Road Commission board vice chair Rodney Chupp apologized to the commissioners in attendance, saying that “if something inappropriate was said, it certainly doesn’t reflect my views.” Board chair Eric Shafer then vowed to investigate the comments, and condemned whatever may have occurred.
“As far as this online bashing thing goes, that stuff will not be tolerated, and I will do a personal investigation into that, and carry that forward to our attorneys as well,” Shafer said. “This is not going to just sit idly. That stuff just cannot happen. We’ve worked too hard to create a relationship with the county commission to even begin to threaten them.”
Following Shafer’s comments, Fourth District Commissioner Luis Rosado, who was also in attendance at the meeting, lauded Shafer for vowing to investigate the issue, but also cautioned his fellow county commissioners about the comments they made, calling some of the language they used a “veiled threat” to the board.
“My concern is when a county commissioner puts out a vague threat, ‘Well, we appoint you to the board, don’t we,’ and just drops it, I think that’s inappropriate as well, and I don’t want you to think that reflects everybody on the county Board of Commissioners,” Rosado said to the agency board. “I think it should first be investigated, then if you see fit to be brought to the county board of commissioners, then we can discuss it and take action. But making a veiled threat like that, I just don’t think it’s professional and doesn’t reflect where I stand.”
Shafer then encouraged Rosado and the other commissioners to send materials to him for review. Shafer did not respond to a request for comment Monday regarding Coleman’s resignation or if an investigation had gotten underway prior to the resignation and the status of such investigation.
Coleman had been on the Road Commission’s board since 2021.
In other business…
- The Road Commission board approved the amended budget for the agency. It includes increased revenue for the grant portion of the Prairie Corners Bridge project and less revenue from property rentals and federal funding, while expenditures increased for road projects, and a slight reduction in expenses for primary road maintenance. In total, the new revenue for the agency is expected to be $18,625,890.89 with $17,199,560.72 in total operating expenditures, which includes $16,239,860.72 in total road expenses.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
When the other commissioners are having hissy fits about something that another said perhaps it would be nice to actually see what he posted. You don’t get to force someone off the road commission because he said something you didn’t like. And maybe there was some truth to it.