Beaufort County communications manager’s tweet violated policy. Now she’s back on staff
A communications manager who shared a slew of vulgar and inflammatory posts on social media is back working for Beaufort County after an investigation found she violated county policy.
Beaufort County’s two month-long investigation into Laura Fanelli’s tweets found that she violated the county’s social media policy, caused “hostility and disruption in the workplace,” and posted a tweet that “caused concern among the public” and “reasonably called into question” her judgment, according to a written reprimand obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
The form, dated Dec. 15, is heavily redacted and does not show exactly what Fanelli’s violation was (the violation check box is redacted) and whether she was punished (the disciplinary action is redacted). It also shows that the county received outside legal advice from Charleston-based labor attorney Brian L. Quisenberry, but the advice is completely bowdlerized.
Interim County Administrator Eric Greenway wrote in an email Tuesday that Fanelli’s position is “Communications Manager” — the same title she held before the investigation. Greenway’s message did not include any other information pertaining to her job description, current duties or whether she was moved to a different department.
The county has not responded to a follow-up public records request related to Fanelli’s job position.
Fanelli did not return a call for comment Tuesday.
Former County Administrator Ashley Jacobs began the investigation Oct. 6, two days after The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reported that Fanelli operated a Twitter account riddled with divisive and profane language on issues such as religion, race, politics and COVID-19.
Fanelli was placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation. Documents obtained by the newspapers show she was paid a total of $12,969 from Oct. 9 to Dec. 4 while on leave.
The county closed its investigation in December, and officials signed the “counseling/warning” form on Dec. 15 — the same day Greenway told a reporter he met with Fanelli to discuss her future.
Fanelli’s written reprimand references only one social media post — “a video posted on your personal Twitter account 9/25/20.” The form appears to be referring to a video Fanelli retweeted of a man punching another man with the caption, “The only proven effective social distancing is from black people.”
The form does not mention any of Fanelli’s other social media posts. The newspapers previously reported that Fanelli’s Twitter page, under the name “LowcountryPatriot,” showed over 39,000 tweets, including posts with conspiracy theories, references to shooting “rioters,” and racist and inflammatory language.
Fanelli listed the Twitter account on her Linkedin profile, where she identified herself as a county employee.
In May, two months after Beaufort County issued a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, @LauraGina, in response to a tweet about the rise of COVID-19 cases in nursing homes, tweeted, “Those numbers r as truthfully counted as the Chinese body count according to Xi & his CCP. They trying to make the President look bad plus they make serious coinage for every corona death. Meth? Rona. Gunshots? Rona. Cancer? Rona. Heart attack? Rona. Car wreck? Rona. All lies.”
Another said: “I have a Taurus .38 revolver and Smith & Wesson M&P 9 mm. Love them both. Also have zip ties, pepper spray, police baton, several military knives and a machete I’m itching to use. But that’s a conversation for another day.”
When the newspapers asked county officials about the Twitter account in early October, it quickly became private. The account is no longer active.
The newspapers reported on the social media posts after learning that Beaufort County Council members were planning to hire Fanelli as their communications specialist to improve their image. She would have served as the public face for the council to convey its goals and messages to constituents.
Before the story published, some officials, including Council member Larry McElynn, said they wanted to hire Fanelli to get council’s message out to the public after meetings.
Referring to Fanelli, he said, “we need to get someone who is proficient in handling social media platforms, and I think the person that we’re talking about has that skill.”
Council Vice Chair Paul Sommerville was more candid about wanting council to look good in the public’s eyes.
“I’m way past tired of relying on the better angels and the tender mercies of the Beaufort Gazette and some of these other publications,” he said, discussing Fanelli’s potential hire. “I mean we’re getting hammered in those things because they can spin it in so many different directions, it makes some or all of us look bad.”
A day after the story published, council members removed her from consideration. During that meeting, Chair Joe Passiment read off several comments he received from the public urging council not to hire Fanelli.
“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,” Passiment said during the meeting.
They have not announced any other candidates.
Two weeks later, Administrator Jacobs was forced by the council to resign, and Greenway was appointed interim administrator.
County policy
Beaufort County’s employee handbook prohibits government employees from engaging in social media “while on County time or on County equipment unless approved in writing by the County Administrator.”
Though employees may access social media sites on personal time, the policy states that postings “should not create hostility or disruption in the workplace. ...
“Posts that contain obscene or harassing material, that are unlawful, that contain personal attacks on coworkers, that reasonably call into question the employee’s judgment, or that reasonably cause concern among the public may result in discipline, up to and including termination from employment,” the policy says.
The handbook states that when an employee receives a written reprimand, the employee’s supervisor must turn in an “Employee Counseling Form” to the Human Resources Department that outlines the circumstances that led to the reprimand and “the action being taken.”
Disciplinary action, according to the handbook, includes:
▪ Oral counseling
▪ Written reprimand
▪ Suspension without pay
▪ Reduction in leave balances
▪ Probation
▪ Demotion/Reduction in pay
▪ Dismissal
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 12:40 PM.
