Daytona Beach News Journal
In a single 41-minute radio interview, Sheriff Mike Chitwood called his predecessor an “ass” and accused Volusia County government of being corrupt while denigrating the performance of the three men on the County Council.
But it was a “salacious” remark about Councilwoman Deb Denys that’s drawn a strong backlash and has even Chitwood conceding he “probably crossed the line.”
In responding this week to a comment attributed to Denys about low staffing levels at the sheriff’s office, Chitwood told local radio host Marc Bernier, “The only thing she (Denys) knows about policing is where the fur-lined handcuffs are on her headboard.”
[Scroll down to listen to the entire interview.]
Denys couldn’t be reached for comment, but others were outraged on her behalf.
Councilwoman Billie Wheeler called it “unacceptable.” Former councilwoman Pat Northey called it “salacious” and “misogynistic.”
Daytona Beach resident Stacy Cantu complained in a phone call to the governor’s office about Chitwood’s “sexist” behavior.
While Gov. Rick Scott has the authority to suspend officials not subject to impeachment, such steps are usually preceded by criminal charges. Not even Cantu is alleging anything criminal.
“I don’t believe the top law enforcement officer should be using this kind of locker room talk about a female,” she said in a phone interview, adding that it would be grounds for termination from any other county employee.
Chitwood, in a telephone interview, acknowledged that he “probably could have used a better analogy” to express how little he believes Denys knows about the operations of his department.
“I think it was probably a little over-the-top,” Chitwood said. “I think it was an attempt to be humorous.”
Yet the outspoken sheriff — known for calling accused criminals “scumbags” and feuding with the former county manager he once called “a lying sack of s---” — said he didn’t plan to apologize to Denys until council members do the same to residents who have been impacted by problems at the county medical examiner’s office.
Crossing the line?
Since taking office in 2017, the sheriff has used social media, radio and newspaper interviews to share his opinions about county leadership. Lately, he’s amped up the attacks, largely about problems at the county morgue and the council’s reluctance to review the fees paid by developers to support new growth.
With criticism mounting from the sheriff and others on social media, County Manager Jim Dinneen walked away from the job on June 22, leaving council members in charge of finding a replacement.
Worrying the constant carping on Facebook and Twitter may derail efforts to attract strong candidates, a majority of council members addressed the issue during their closing comments at the June 19 meeting. Calling the sheriff “unprofessional,” their message to would-be critics: Quiet down.
Chitwood didn’t seem to have gotten the message when he sat down with Bernier Tuesday on his WNDB AM-1150 afternoon radio show. During the segment, he called County Chair Ed Kelley’s treatment of residents who question council leadership “disrespectful.” Of Fred Lowry: “He’s a great guy, but I don’t know what he does.” Of Pat Patterson: “He’s a Dinneen apologist.”
Chitwood called county government corrupt — what he calls a “pay to play” system — and said that he’d like the FBI to launch an investigation into whether council members are unduly influenced by political donors.
“This is what America’s all about,” Chitwood told Bernier. “People are allowed to voice their displeasure.”
Chitwood won office in 2016 by claiming more than half the votes cast in a five-way primary. His brash style continues to draw him supportive comments on social media.
When do insults by an elected official cross the line? How far can they go before the public turns on them? That safety zone may be wider now than ever before, said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida.
The professor cited the example of President Donald Trump to make his point. Months before Election Day, a video emerged of the businessman making lewd comments toward women on an Access Hollywood bus. Once elected, he’s continued to insult individuals on Twitter. It’s made elected officials less afraid to speak their mind on social media without fear of repercussions, and it’s made the public more accepting of that behavior, Jewett said.
“It seems that with the rise of Donald Trump, more and more elected officials feel free to speak their minds,” he said, “even if it’s something controversial or not politically correct or even sexist or racist.”
Yet Chitwood’s outspokenness “predates the Trump phenomenon,” Jewett added, earning the sheriff the nickname, Microphone Mike. Even Jewett responded with a “Wow,” when told of the sheriff’s “fur-lined handcuffs” comment aimed at a female colleague.
“A lot of elected and appointed leaders are more tactful and worry what the ramifications of (inappropriate) comments would be,” Jewett said. “But he doesn’t seem to be that way.”
Joke or attack?
Bernier, who’d interviewed Denys on air a few weeks earlier, said he was shocked by the comment about the councilwoman.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t even know what that meant,” said Bernier, whose monthly on-air interview with the sheriff dates back to when Chitwood was Daytona Beach police chief. “It was probably some sort of attempt at humor. ... I was kind of surprised.”
Bernier did not challenge Chitwood’s remark.
Chitwood said the phrase is a common joke among law enforcement officers when referring to someone who doesn’t know their business.
The humor was lost on Northey, who said she was “horrified” to hear it.
“Elected officials develop pretty thick skin about that kind of stuff, but this was personal,” Northey, who served 20 years on the council, said in a phone interview. “The word salacious comes to mind. You have to ask what’s in this guy’s head when he says something like that about a woman. I have to wonder if I’m a female police officer for Volusia County, what am I thinking now?”
Wheeler agreed, writing on Facebook, “A woman should not have to have sexual innuendos about her character under any circumstances. The ‘MeToo’ movement is changing the conversation. Not Acceptable. Stop it now in Volusia County.”
‘A bully with a gun’
Chitwood’s attacks weren’t limited to public officials.
In his interview with Bernier, Chitwood said Mori Hosseini, president of ICI Homes and the area’s biggest political donor, is the reason why a 2016 impact fee study the county commissioned wasn’t publicly discussed at council meetings in recent months. The study suggested significantly increasing impact fees. Chitwood suggested Hosseini was behind shielding the report from the public because as a builder he “didn’t want those fees to change.”
Hosseini refuted those claims. He said he isn’t opposed to the council raising impact fees, and added that he wasn’t even aware of the impact fee study until a News-Journal story about the study published on June 17.
Hosseini also noted that he contributed money to Chitwood’s campaign for sheriff in 2016. A quick search of campaign finance records from the 2016 election shows that Hosseini-related donors gave Chitwood at least $5,000.
“He asked for money from me and I gave it to him,” Hosseini said.
Chitwood also slung insults at Ben Johnson, the 16-year sheriff now running for the council’s open at-large seat. Chitwood called the former sheriff an “ass” and a “liar.” Johnson declined to comment about those remarks, but he had more to say about Chitwood’s comments against a woman.
He’s a “bully with a gun,” Johnson said of Chitwood, adding that his tactics should scare the general public.
“It’s a sad state affairs when a public official continuously makes inflammatory and demeaning comments,” Johnson said. “His statement about the handcuffs is troubling and degrading to all women and should never be tolerated by the public. But I guess we have to consider the source.”
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