A special meeting of Grand Traverse County commissioners Thursday to address a controversial incident with Vice Chair Ron Clous lasted five-and-a-half hours, with more than 100 people giving public comment and chaos occasionally breaking out as callers "Zoom bombed" the proceedings with profanities and loud music. Commissioners ultimately pulled the resolution off the agenda, with the board only taking action Thursday to approve a funding request to assist residents with contaminated drinking wells in East Bay Township.

Commissioners were set to vote on a “resolution of redress” that would have declared the display of weapons while members of the public are speaking as “inappropriate and unacceptable behavior” at county meetings. The resolution was proposed after Clous displayed a semi-automatic rifle during a county commission meeting last week while a woman was sharing concerns about gun violence and the far-right group Proud Boys. Clous’ actions made international headlines and sparked backlash including a police complaint and community calls for the resignations of both Clous and Chair Rob Hentschel, who was seen laughing during the incident.

Members of the public spoke for more than five hours Thursday about the rifle display and resolution of redress, with condemnation of the incident outweighing support by a roughly four-to-one margin. Numerous speakers criticized the resolution language, which called Clous “well intentioned” and stated that “emerging notions of appropriate behavior and professional etiquette (are) not yet universally established” in virtual meetings. Those commenters said the language was insufficient to address Clous’ behavior.

“It was embarrassing, and it’s been heard around the world,” said local attorney Holly Bird, calling the incident “grossly inappropriate” and a display of irresponsible gun ownership. Traverse City Area Public Schools Board Vice Chair Erica Moon Mohr said elected officials should be held to the same standards at virtual meetings as in-person ones. “Never once would I envision doing anything inappropriate that I wouldn't do within that board room,” she said. Echoing calls for Clous and Hentschel to apologize and/or resign, resident Cari Noga said that if the commissioners wouldn’t consider those actions, they should at minimum “forfeit their leadership offices on the county board.”

Other residents defended Clous and Hentschel, calling the backlash a “conservative witch hunt” and an overblown example of “mob rule” and “cancel culture.” One caller, who identified himself as Ben, said that “Clous had every right to hold a rifle in his own home…there was nothing threatening or menacing in his display.” In response to residents who said they felt threatened by Clous’ actions, a caller named Richard said he himself felt “horrified” and “fearful” to be in a public space where legal firearms aren’t allowed. Jade, another caller, said public apologies from commissioners would be beneficial in calming community ire, but also criticized the intensity of the backlash. “I don't think a resignation would solve any problems,” she said. “I don't think anyone should be demonized forever for a little slip-up.”

Technical issues plagued the lengthy meeting, with callers repeatedly unmuting themselves out of order and shouting profanities, blasting music, and otherwise disrupting or speaking over other public commenters. Hentschel and County IT Director Cliff DuPuy struggled to maintain order, eventually booting some callers out of the meeting only to find them calling back in or dodging attempts to mute them. Traverse City Commissioner Christie Minervini echoed other residents in calling on staff to upgrade the county’s software to better handle public comment going forward, with Minervini noting the city had upgraded its technology early in the pandemic to deter Zoom bombing.

Some public commenters questioned the county calling a special meeting with less than 24 hours' notice to address the incident with Clous, saying the afternoon meeting time prevented many residents from attending. Others pointed out that a resolution from County Commissioner Darryl Nelson to censure Clous and Hentschel will appear on the board’s regular meeting agenda next Wednesday, and said the resolution of redress should have been addressed at the same time. Commissioners ultimately decided to delay taking action on the resolution, voting by a 5-1 margin – with Hentschel opposed and Commissioner Brad Jewett absent at that point due to a prior commitment – to remove it from the agenda. The item’s removal meant commissioners had almost no discussion amongst themselves about the resolution or the incident with Clous at Thursday’s meeting.

Commissioners did, however, take action to approve a request to provide up to $85,000 in funding to help 18 homeowners in East Bay Township connect to municipal water after it was recently discovered their drinking wells are contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The man-made chemicals have been linked to health risks including increased likelihood of certain cancers and decreased fertility, as well as increased risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms. East Bay Township has been working with state officials to secure funding to cover the costs of connecting the homeowners to municipal water – utility fees that cannot legally be waived.

According to a memo from East Bay Township Supervisor Beth Friend, a state grant was secured to cover $150,000 in costs, but an estimated gap of nearly $72,000 still exists for the project. Without county support, homeowners would eat those costs themselves at a rate of nearly $4,000 each, or $22 per month for 15 years. Noting that the contaminated wells were not the fault of homeowners, commissioners unanimously authorized County Administrator Nate Alger to locate and allocate up to $85,000 – the funding gap plus an additional buffer – from sources that could include the county’s Home Rehabilitation Trust Fund. Contractor Matt’s Underground Utility Service submitted the lowest bid for the project and is expected to start work on connecting homeowners to the township water supply in February.