PEMBROKE PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - A commissioner in one South Florida town is firing back after being investigated for bad behavior.
Former Pembroke Park town attorney, Melissa Anderson, explained the way, she said, Commissioner Geoffrey Jacobs treated her.
“He went after me like I have never had in my 35 year career had anybody, I mean it was shocking,” Anderson said. “I tried to actually smooth things over with him one night and he, this is when he screamed at me from across the parking lot to leave him the expletive alone, and I was like, I thought this just went from weird to weird scary.”
Anderson met with the attorney who was hired by the town to look into allegations against the commissioner.
“Hostile work environment and potential violations of code of conduct for the Town of Pembroke Park,” said the attorney.
Commissioner Jacobs is now responding to the allegations and the report, which he said, is lopsided.
“There was not one person interviewed in there that was beneficial to me,” Jacobs said,
Anderson, who’s openly gay, said Jacobs sent her a Tiktok video, which she took to be homophobic.
“Insinuating that because I was a lesbian, I didn’t know what the expletive was talking about,” Anderson said.
Jacobs said the text was intended for his wife.
“It wasn’t a reflection on her sexual orientation, it was a reflection about masculine women, how they come in all big and tough, and the moment things don’t go their way, they turn into the ultimate victim,” Jacobs said.
Others people, such as Commissioner William Hodgkins, had complaints as well.
“He has called me stupid, ignorant and everything else on social media,” Hodgkins said. “His Facebook page was just loaded with insults.”
“Yes, I’ve called him incompetent because he sat up there for 2.5 years now,” Jacobs said. “He collects a check and does absolutely nothing.”
There was also another instance when Jacobs loudly opened the bag of popcorn in the middle of the meeting.
“That’s exactly it, it’s a joke,” Jacobs said. “I keep requesting meetings that are important and I have no say anymore.”
The attorney concluded her report by stating, “In sum, every person interviewed, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or age, expressed concern about Commissioner Jacobs and espoused that his behavior has created a hostile, volatile, toxic workplace.”
The findings were something the town’s mayor referred to in her interview.
“There’s just been no level of respect for any of his colleagues,” Mayor Ashira Mohammed said.
“I will not be silenced, I will not stop,” Jacobs said to his colleges during a previous meeting.
He reiterated those sentiments on Tuesday.
“I live in this community, this is my community and my residence and business owners deserve better from their commission,” Jacobs said.
A commission meeting to discuss the reports findings is scheduled for Thursday night.
Jacobs said he will attend that meeting.
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