Beaufort County Council decides not to hire PR candidate after inflammatory tweets
Beaufort County Council agreed Monday evening not to hire a communications manager who frequently shares vulgar and inflammatory posts on social media.
The decision to remove the position from consideration came a day after the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reported that County Communications Manager Laura Fanelli, the only candidate council members were considering for the job, operates a Twitter account filled with divisive and vulgar language regarding controversial issues such as religion, race, politics and COVID-19.
On Monday, council members unanimously voted to pull the position from the meeting’s agenda.
“It has come to our attention that the position that we wished to have filled by a particular individual has caused County Council to have some concerns regarding the social media posts that have been attributed to that individual,” Council Chair Joe Passiment said during the meeting.
He also read off several comments he received from the public urging council not to hire Fanelli.
County Administrator Ashley Jacobs said Fanelli was still employed as the county’s communications manager as of Tuesday morning.
Earlier on Monday, Passiment told a reporter that more discussion about other candidates for the new position will likely happen at a future executive committee meeting. That committee is scheduled to meet again on Oct. 12.
The new communications manager would work solely for council and would be separate from the county’s vacant public information officer position — which Administrator Ashley Jacobs said she is in the process of filling.
Several council members have publicly stated they want a communications specialist to improve their image.
Last week, Passiment said a communications manager would help council get its “message out” and “better communicate with citizens.”
