The Santa Rosa County Democratic Party is asking for the resignation and formal censure of Commissioner James Calkins following his public support at yesterday's Board of County Commissioner meeting for the debunked conspiracy theory that antifa, rather than ex-President Trump's supporters, caused the Washington DC Capitol insurrection. He later added fuel to the conspiracy fire by providing a local reporter with a statement that he doesn't "trust the media to give me facts and information" because it "has an agenda and is fake" (Blanks A, "Santa Rosa commissioner peddles debunked antifa claims, pushes county to endorse GOP bills", Pensacola News Journal, January 21, 2021, https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2021/01/21/james-calkins-pedals-debunked-antifa-claims-capitol-riot s-gop-bill/6657250002.)
Following the horror we all witnessed several weeks ago in our nation's capital, it is incumbent on all of us to hold our elected officials accountable when they promote conspiracy theories and lies. At this time, when there is such a great need for healing from a pandemic that has wrecked the economy and people's lives, we need our elected representatives to be grounded in reality and the truth. We need them to be measured and thoughtful in their decisions.
Commissioner James Calkins has used his platform as a county elected official to promote a lie. For that reason, we urge the Board of County Commissioners to censure him to attempt prevention of such behavior in the future. However, given Commissioner Calkins extreme rhetoric in the past, it is very possible that he is either incapable or unwilling to engage in responsible adult behavior. For that reason, we ask him to resign.
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The Santa Rosa County Democratic Party is charged with supporting the community, registering voters, and helping to elect Democratic candidates for local and statewide positions. Monthly business meetings are held at 6pm on the third Thursday of each month. For more information, contact our Chair Matt Becker at (850) 396-1935