Not counting today, Flagler county Commissioner Andy Dance at least three times in the past year and a half attempted to draw his colleagues’ attention to improving commission procedures and adopting minimum standards of decorum for commissioners.
The calls were prompted either by the chronic embarrassments Commissioner Joe Mullins heaps on the commission and the county or by the commission’s tendency to pass on rigorous analyses of issues, deferring instead to staff and back-slapping.
Dance tried again today to call for a retreat to discuss, among other things, yet another crossing of “the lines of decorum.” It was a veiled a reference to Mullins’s latest embarrassments, some of which drew international attention. He had abused his authority, threatening the job of a Florida Highway Patrol trooper after getting pulled over for speeding, claimed he ran Flagler County, and soon after fabricated the support of two local associations of retired cops, prompting clarifications and disavowals from both associations.
None of the other county commissioners–Dave Sullivan, Greg Hansen, Donald O’Brien–so much as hinted about Mullins’s transgressions. Rather, O’Brien today walked off the dais just as Dance began speaking about a retreat. O’Brien–Mullins’s staunchest apologist on the commission, along with Sullivan–returned when Hansen a short time later was complaining about gas prices being higher in Flagler than elsewhere in the state. It was the latest example of a commission chronically enabling conflict and corrosion over respect while pretending to be a well-oiled machine.
“I value board camaraderie,” Dance said in his closing remarks at the end of a three-hour commission meeting. He’d served 12 years as a school board member, where he was known as a consensus builder, and during most of whose years there the school board was board was almost entirely drama-free. “I think a unity of purpose amongst us is very valuable in getting the mission and vision of the county government done. And I understand we’re all individuals, we do these things in our own way. We march to our own drummer. And I mentioned before about our rules that govern board conduct. We’ve had strategic planning. We’ve had the budget. We’ve had lots of things that have taken precedence over looking at this. But with knowing that all that’s coming to conclusion very soon, especially with the budget, and I know some work has been done by staff up to this point, I’m hoping we can revisit that in September.
“But just, you know, recent news, we’ve crossed the lines of decorum,” Dance continued, prompting O’Brien to get up from his chair and leave the dais at that very point, even though commissioners know that the meeting is drawing to a close by then. “Just want to make sure that we get back on track,” Dance said, noticing the obvious snub. “And I know this is uncomfortable conversations, but you know it’s detrimental to the function of our county government if we’re not adhering to minimum standards and the standards that the public expects. I just want to for us to all be on that same page, moving forward.”
But they were not even on the same dais.
It is customary courtesy, when elected board members on any local boards make their points in such segments, that fellow-board members at least pretend to pay attention. None of the remaining commissioners did as Dance spoke. Sullivan did so, on and off. Hansen, who sits immediately to the right of Dance, did not, looking at his computer screen instead–intently so as dance spoke of decorum–while O’Brien looked down at the dais, as he now routinely does during most discussions, before swiveling off. Mullins, who has developed elaborate ways to show his contempt during the meetings he chairs–rubbing his eyes or his forehead, face-palming, looking at the ceiling, looking at his phone, walking off–this time held his jaw in his palm and stared at the computer screen in front of him.
He may have been remembering the last regular meeting, on July 11, when Dance, noting another matter of commission procedures, called him out for inappropriately using the first portion of the meeting, under the chair’s comments, to delve into an aggrieved excoriation of an anonymous emailer who’d questioned the accuracy of Mullins’s financial disclosure forms. The chambers were almost at capacity, the commission had a very lengthy agenda with some controversial issues of large concern to the public, yet Mullins used (or rather, in Dance’s view, mis-used) the chair’s comment period to his own purposes, drawing County Attorney Al Hadeed into the discussion.
“This is commissioner comments or legal comments,” Dance said, referring to the more appropriate portion of the meeting, at its end, when such issues would be discussed. “We’ve got a full house and we really need to be getting to business.”
“I appreciate that but we’re gonna finish this dialogue,” Mullins snapped, before citing a further grievance by name–Jane Gentile-Youd, potentially an opponent in his own re-election campaign. Toward the end of the meeting, Mullins defended his use of the chair comment segment by saying: “I am the chair, and I determine what goes on chair comments.” The phrase echoed what he’d said to one of the troopers who’d pulled him over in June, when trying to get out of a ticket: “I run the county.”
“The other commissioners don’t have enough courage to stand up to you. I will,” yet another commission candidate, Denise Calderwood, told him as the meeting was in its last minutes, criticizing him for what she saw as his breach of decorum against Dance. “So follow your own rules, follow your own decorum,” she told him.
Soon after his election in January, Dance, concerned about Mullins’s violent rhetoric (he’d called for the beheading of liberals around the time he sponsored the bussing of Flagler residents to the Jan. 6 demonstration that devolved into an attack on Congress and threats on the vice president’s life that then-President Trump abetted), had called for a commission retreat. Sullivan wasn’t interested, if it was going to be open to the public. And O’Brien demurred.
Dance was interested in having more frequent workshops to examine issues more thoroughly, on a commission notorious for its love of improv. Less than a year ago it had briefly appeared that the commission had agreed: more regular workshops were scheduled, along the lines of Palm Coast government’s and the school board’s regularity. But weeks later, in a stunning pair of votes, a majority of commissioners–with Dance dissenting–reversed themselves and scrapped the workshop schedule.
The following week, when Dance raised concerns about the commission’s habit of holding special meetings immediately after workshops, to ratify decisions reached at the workshop but with no time for the public to digest the decisions, his colleagues again dismissed hgis concerns outright. When he again brought up hopes today that the commission would agree to some form of retreat, not one of his colleagues so much as said they were hearing him, let alone agreed, and one of them had left his chair.
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DP says
I think it’s time we as voters send a strong message to our elected officials. Straighten your ass’s out, or you get voted out. If the others can’t listen or follow the direction of Andy Dance, then your out during the next election cycle of your term. Mullins is an embarrassment, and a joke. His reckless reguard for the law, and fabrications is an embarrassment to the county. It’s time for a change and an attitude adjustment, first Mullins out, and then ????????. 2022 begins the change!!!!
TBK says
I seriously want to know what these other members owe JoeNazi Mullins that they are willing to support his horrific behavior.
Mark says
O’Brien should have done the County a favor and just keep walking.
Vote Them Out says
The Commissioners are a shameful group– all of them except Dance are guilty of dereliction of duty. Only Dance does his homeowork. Only Dance is prepared. Only Dance seems to care about accomplishing the right things for the county. Only Dance will publicly denounce inappropriate behavior. All but Dance are partisan hacks who have donated to each others’ campaigns and favorite charities and each others’ families and friends’ endeavors. They are so entwined in each others’ issues that they can’t make decisions that might possibly ruffle each others’ feathers. For a bunch of former military men and business owners, they are a weak lot. Vote Mullins out in August. Vote Hansen out in August. Vote the rest of them out in 2024. If they don’t have the cajones to do what’s right for the county, then we have to have the cajones to Vote. Them. Out.
Kim Carney says
Andy your efforts are futile! You are asking 4 self serving men to look in the mirror and be accountable. Will never happen. A workshop is definitely in order so legal or league of counties can educate these people as they learned nothing in their “Advances Certification” in County Commission! Such a weak group…so sad for our citizens. Hopefully this county will VOTE OUT the poorest example of a commissioner we have ever experienced! Joe Mullins has got to GO!
The dude says
MAGAts are rotten and shitty to the core.
They literally run everything in this county, including the cities, and it’s all pretty much a shithole.
Why do you all reward them so?
Michael Cocchiola says
Vote the MegaMAGAs out. Save our county!
Bob Fortier says
You are correct on that
Dean Gallberry III says
“When a clown moves in to the palace, he doesn’t become a king; the palace becomes a circus.”
Korean vet. says
Mullin is a self centered egotistical clown .ne has embarrassed our county and must be removed . Please tell me why the other board members protect him ?we end to clean house . We have the opportunity in this election to get rid of two of these useless people (joe Mullins and Hanson) time for change folks . It’s now or never to start the change . Please remember all the negative bad decisions made by these people . The old hospital molded building Bings landing just to mention a couple.
Linda says
Don O’Brien has been such a disappointment. Mullins is a bad joke. Go away!!!!!!
Jane Gentile-Youd says
Of course O’Brien walked out – he wants to make sure Joe an keep paying his son’s company, O2 Digital, $500 a month for ‘social media management”. If Joe gets knocked out in the primary O’Brien’s son can kiss $500 a month ( at least) bye-bye. Seems to me Joe ain’t getting his money’s worth anyway; watcha’ think?
Concerned Citizen says
If you are a Commissioner in this County and walked off of your sworn duty you need to be voted out.
You have one job that you took an oath to do. And that is to represent ALL of your constituents honestly and ethically at ALL times. Not just when we are looking. Or when it best suits you.
You all took an oath. And that oath holds you to higher standards than the regular person working a 9 to 5 job. Either do the job you were elected and sworn in to do. Or get out of the way and let someone else do it. You are replaceable.
To the voters of this county.
You’ve been well informed of the recent behaviors of several of our elected officials. Please help hold them accountable this election cycle. You will not get different. By voting the same term after term.
Catherine says
Thank you, Commissioner Dance, for being the only person on the Commission with integrity, courage and a mindset that you work for ALL of the residents of this County, not just the ones that kiss your ass or vote or pray the same way you do. In fact, I don’t even know how you vote in elections or pray because you are busy doing the actual job that the folks in Flagler County asked you to do when we voted you in.
Those other guys need to go, starting with Speedy Joe. Let him pretend to run a different county.
Gail says
That is exactly what I and my neighbors plan to do!
Bob Fortier says
I don’t look our county as a shithole. Just need to elect the sane candidates.
Jimmy says
Look…there’s an election in a few days, let the voters speak. Everybody knows what happened and will have their say. No need for O’Brien or anyone else to join Andy on his Mullins bash effort. And I don’t blame Andy, Mullins has treated him like trash, so…it is what it is.
ULTRA MAGA says
RINO Mullins is NOT a MAGA; he is a MJMG(Make Joe Mullins Great)! Mullins and Hansen must be Voted OUT! Wake Up Flagler County Voters and Check their Voting Records, Check their employment history! Did Hansen know about the ‘Fat Albert Scandal’; the Wasteful Spending on the LCS program(the ships keep breaking down and now the hulks are cranking)! “I run the County” is the WRONG Leadership! Flagler County Voters need leaders who say “I work for the Citizens of Flagler County”!
Joseph Barand says
Mullins know he can only be removed from office by DeSantis and that will never happen as they are both on Trump’s payrole.
hjc says
Good question why is gas more expensive than Volusia or St. John’s county
Laurel says
As an Independent, I do not have a loyalty to either side. Realistically, the Republicans, these days, love someone who behaves poorly. Look at who was voted in by them. Somehow, they feel that bad behavior is something to be desired, whether it’s hunting RINOs for beheading liberals. I know people who will vote straight down the loyalty ticket no matter how bad the candidates are. Republicans stated they held their noses while voting for Trump. Now look what a mess he created with his corrupt cohorts. Remember how poorly he behaved. So, if you really want the change you claim you want, try considering the person running, not their political rhetoric. That actually may help them stay in line better and behave in your real best interest.
Y’all say “vote them out” but why, if you’re gonna vote in the same type person with a different name?
CRN says
Well said!
You should have Just keep on walking Donald O'Brian... says
People like Donald O’Brian and Dave Sullivan that support a guy like Joe Mullins simply don’t see the point of decorum.
Joe Mullins disrespect for law enforcement at his speeding ticket and wanting to use his power and office position to get out of the ticket and disrespect the trooper was disgusting.
That’s the point of the video voters need to remember.
The commercial WNZF is running that blames Flaglerlive for his misfortune is a load of bull too.
Andy Dance is correct and Donald O’Brian should have just kept walking. He’s in bed with the developers just like Joe Mullins is.
Andy Dance you keep up the civility.
Vote Leanne Pennington for respect and honesty!