County Council member makes public her plan to boot Passiment out as chairman
One member of the county’s council has had enough and vows to remove Chairman Joe Passiment from his role.
On Sept. 28, council member Paula Brown was a guest on Beaufort County’s House of Cards, a podcast hosted by former council member Mike Covert. Where she publicly revealed that she not only has plans to call for the removal of the council chair, but that she has the necessary votes to unseat him.
Multiple times during the podcast Brown voiced frustration about the way Council Chair Joe Passiment has handled the county’s business including his decisions to exclude listed speakers from making public comments.
Brown cited the recent debate over the future zoning of the proposed Cherry Pointe development. During that council meeting, Passiment was lambasted by the public for skipping over names registered and listed to speak before the council. It wasn’t until multiple council people spoke up against Passiment that the skipped party was allowed to address the council.
“That’s not the way you should be acting as chairman,” Brown said. “You’re not a bully. I think a lot of people are scared of him for some stupid reason.”
“I’m here to tell you right here, right now,” Brown said. “I have the votes. I have the people, I have elected officials, and I have ‘we the people’ - the people of Beaufort County, behind me to run for chairman, to knock Passiment out of his seat and take over and reorganize this county.”
Brown told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that she wouldn’t reveal her cards too soon, like who’s backing Brown, how she will approach the removal and when people can expect action from it. However, Brown did reaffirm that she is confident her efforts will be successful.
“If any council member that’s up there and votes no for me to be chairman. What is wrong with you? Do you think the county is just great? We’re doing wonderful we don’t need a new chairman. Really?” she asked.
“You really don’t give a damn how this county is going down tubes,” she later told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in reference to anyone who wouldn’t vote for her as chair.
Brown says that the first thing she’d do has chair would be to hire an administrator. She also added that she would like to see more public involvement in that decision.
“You [Covert] said a few weeks ago, ‘it’s a black eye,’ Brown said. “We [Beaufort County] don’t have a black eye anymore. Mike, we’re in the trauma center in an induced coma.”
Passiment, who has been on the council since 2019, has served as chair since 2020 when his predecessor, Stu Rodman, resigned from the role.
Passiment is on vacation this week and did not respond to a Tuesday morning text seeking comment.
This story was originally published October 3, 2023 at 12:06 PM.
