CLAY MURPHY showed his meanness when he said that Commissioner Ann Taylor needed "more seasoning" before he could support her to be Vice Chair. "Seasoning" was what slave traders provided to enslaved people, to the Africans they kidnapped and brought to America. Seasoning. How sexist, misogynist and patronizing. CLAY MURPHY must apologize. He doesn't keep his promises and he shows a casual disregard for our rights as citizens. From St. Johns Citizen:
Board Blowup: Clay Murphy’s Chairmanship Bid Fails Amid St. Johns County Leadership Clash
- By Selim Algar
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Fireworks erupted at Tuesday’s St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners meeting after a leadership transition devolved into a searing dispute over qualifications, ethics training, and political alliances.
Traditionally, the board’s vice chair automatically advances to the chair position, a practice that placed Commissioner Clay Murphy in line for the top role.
But the appointment quickly turned contentious after Murphy announced that he would not support Commissioner Ann Taylor for new vice chair. His stance immediately shifted the tone of the meeting and drew a swift reaction from Taylor and current Chair Krista Joseph.
Taylor later called Murphy’s refusal to support her “insulting,” and her visible anger set the stage for an increasingly heated exchange.
Before the board could vote on Murphy’s promotion, Joseph raised concerns about his participation in a mandatory ethics training session held over the summer in Orlando.
She said she observed Murphy take a photo of the session’s initial QR code used to document attendance, leave shortly afterward, and return later to take a second QR code photo to verify his presence.
“Commissioner Murphy never made it through that meeting,” Joseph said. “So I’m just nervous that he doesn’t know exactly what’s happening, and that’s why I’m not supporting him.”
Murphy told the board that he completed the required training at a later time “online.” He then accused Joseph of using the training issue as a pretext to upend his chairmanship, calling it “nonsense.”
“I think the reason that you’re not supporting me is because I answered your question of supporting Commissioner Taylor for Vice Chair in the negative,” he said. “So let’s call it what it is.”
Joseph pressed Murphy further on why he opposed Taylor’s vice chair bid, noting that he was appointed to the role without prior experience.
Murphy said he believe Taylor needed additional seasoning before taking on the role. Taylor reacted sharply, saying, “I’m just in shock right now to think he feels that I would not be able to handle it to be vice chair. That’s so insulting.”
With tensions now fully inflamed, the board proceeded to vote on Murphy’s appointment as chair.
In an unexpected move, Murphy then voted against his own nomination. The final tally was 3–2 against his elevation, with Murphy, Taylor, and Joseph opposing and Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst supporting.
After Murphy’s elimination, Joseph moved to nominate Whitehurst for the chair role. Whitehurst declined, leaving the board momentarily without a clear path forward.
In a quick turn, Joseph herself was nominated to continue serving as chair. She was approved on a 3–2 vote, supported by Taylor and Whitehurst, with Murphy and Arnold opposed.
The board then turned to the vice chair position. Taylor was nominated and approved by the same 3–2 margin, receiving votes from Joseph, Whitehurst, and herself, while Arnold and Murphy cast the dissenting tallies.
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