Pima County supervisor comments 'I am WHITE – and proud of it!' on Facebook

Supervisor Ally Miller of the Pima County Board of Supervisors in Arizona is drawing criticism for a controversial comment posted on Facebook in response to the deadly violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend. 

After a Tucson real-estate agent and former Tucson mayoral candidate shared an article Saturday morning about President Donald Trump condemning "hate" and "violence" in Charlottesville, Miller commented on the article from a personal Facebook page that evening with the following:

"I'm sick and tired of being hit for being white....It is all about making us feel like we need to apologize. I am WHITE-and proud of it! No apologies necessary."

Miller was first elected in 2012 and now is serving her second, four-year term representing District 1, which includes the towns of Marana and Oro Valley and a section of north Tucson. 

She did not respond to repeated requests for comment Monday. Her voicemail box was full and not accepting new messages as of 10:45 a.m.

Some have replied to her comment, criticizing her "lack of compassion" and calling for her resignation. 

Meanwhile, fellow supervisors are denouncing the comment as "insensitive," "complicit in" racism and "an opportunity to pounce and to denounce her."

Board chair: Miller's comment is 'insensitive'

Board Chairwoman Supervisor Sharon Bronson said she was "disappointed" by Miller's comment and said it does not reflect the five-member board or the county's constituents, which include Tucson. 

"This is a time to unite against the hateful bigotry of white supremacy, and she certainly hasn’t done that," Bronson said. "The tragedy in Charlottesville is sickening. I’m disgusted by it. It’s racism, it's domestic terrorism, it's hateful bigotry, it’s Nazism. I think it should be condemned by all Americans, especially by elected officials who influence policy, regardless of our political persuasion. To not condemn it is to be complicit in it."

Bronson said that, to her knowledge, the comment did come from Miller's personal Facebook page, but that she has not talked to her in the past day, which is "not unusual – she rarely talks to board members."

"Tucson and Pima County pride ourselves on being an immigrant-welcoming community, we pride ourselves on multiculturalism, and I certainly don’t think her comments reflect the majority of the residents of Pima County and of the Board of Supervisors," Bronson said. "It certainly would behoove her ... to apologize both to the board and to her constituents."

Fellow supervisor: 'An opportunity to pounce and to denounce her'

Supervisor Steve Christy said in an email statement that the violence in Charlottesville is "deplorable."

"The violence and resulting deaths in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend are deplorable and shocking. Anything resembling activity involving or utilizing the putrid smell of "White Supremacy", "Neo-Nazism", and the "KKK" should and must be condemned in the strongest of possible terms. There is no place in our American society for any kind of violent and racist behavior.

Supervisor Ally Miller's post using her personal Facebook account to comment on a shared article unfortunately gave her detractors the fodder they have been waiting for - an opportunity to pounce and to denounce her.

All Americans must join together as one and reject violence as a tool in the arena of public discourse."

Another supervisor: Nobody is asking you to apologize for 'being white'

Supervisor Richard Elías, whose district includes much of Tucson, said Miller's comments "legitimize ... white supremacy."

"I am deeply saddened by one of my colleagues’ response to the violent and
heartbreaking events in Charlottesville. Instead of calling for unity after the deaths of
three Americans, as Neo-Nazis and domestic terrorists marched on the streets of an
American city, Supervisor Miller called for further division.

These comments further legitimize the immoral ideology of white supremacy that is on the rise throughout our country, from cities that that want to regulate how people go to the bathroom, to states that seek to make it legal to drive into crowds of peaceful protestors, all the way to the White House, and it must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

This kind of sentiment is not representative of Southern Arizona’s beautiful diversity, and it is not becoming of an elected official tasked with protecting the safety and wellbeing of every resident of Pima County.

Supervisor Miller, nobody is asking you to apologize for “being white”, but you owe it to our community to apologize for your remarks. As Americans, we must stand with our all of our brothers and sisters against hatred, racism, and white supremacy. Pima County is stronger because we celebrate our multicultural heritage. Nobody should feel unsafe or unwelcome here because of who they are."

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry declined to comment via email, deferring to the supervisors. 

The former Tucson mayoral candidate who originally shared the article that Miller appears to have commented on, Shaun McClusky, also declined to talk about the incident. 

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