Citizen Unfairly Vilified

To the Editor:

I was deeply disturbed to learn that William Bernsen was publicly vilified in open court during last week’s commissioners court meeting. As was reported in detail in this paper and told to me by more than one person, Commissioner Drew Brossmann spent an inordinate amount of time ranting about Mr. Bernsen’s temerity in questioning certain budget decisions during the prior meeting. While Commissioner Brossmann made valid comments supporting the 10 percent raises for the sheriff’s office and EMS employees, he was defensive and demeaning in his delivery. Brossmann also chastised Mr. Bernsen for daring to question the court’s decision-making process as well as other comments and opinions he had presented in the past regarding subdivision approvals.

Throughout Brossmann’s tirade, Judge Mueller refused to allow Mr. Bernsen to correct false statements being made against him. After Commissioner Brossmann finished speaking, Judge Mueller immediately began angrily complaining about a public comment on Facebook. When William tried to respond, the judge asked the Constable to escort Mr. Bernsen out of the courtroom. The incident seems to have been orchestrated specifically to humiliate Mr. Bernsen and remove him from the courtroom. It mirrors the same kind of vindictiveness we are seeing in the current federal administration.

Mr. Bernsen has been attending the commissioners’ court for years, which is actually what the citizens of this county should be doing on a regular basis. We should be paying attention to what is going on in our local government. We should have a clear understanding of how our tax dollars are being spent. Our commissioners are elected to represent us; therefore, they should be open to our opinions. They should be honest and respectful in responding to our questions. There is no need to resort to personal attacks when a citizen is simply trying to participate in the political process.