MONROE — At a typical biweekly meeting of the Monroe County commissioners, just a handful of residents gathers in the courthouse, but at the most recent meeting, the courthouse was packed.
“You all look like a bunch of crooks,” one resident said during public comment Tuesday.
“I don’t like calling for people to be fired, but at this point, I think that would go a long way toward restoring some public trust,” another resident said.
“Here I am, again, loud and angry because it’s crap that this guy is breaking the law, and I come begging for help for my housing situation, and … he voted against me as a lawbreaker,” another said.
Citizen after citizen took the stand for both rounds of public comment to voice their dissatisfaction with the county government. Facing opposite the podium, eight county commissioners, with one empty seat, sat dutifully listening to their constituents.
The empty seat belongs to Mark Brant, who has been a county commissioner since 2012. In September, he pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining drug-involved premises and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison as well as two years of supervised release.