ERLANGER, KY – A school board chairperson in Northern Kentucky has resigned from his position after Facebook comments from years ago – which called for people to “please shoot Republicans” – and a 2017 incident where he was driving under the influence came to light.
Jeffrey Miller, who has served on the Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District board since 2016, submitted his resignation after state Rep. Steve Doan, an Erlanger Republican, brought the social media comment and charge to light.
“I found that (comment) directly as an attack on me and an attack on the people in my district,” said Doan, who won reelection with about 63% of the vote last year.
Board of education members unanimously voted to accept Miller’s resignation at a regularly scheduled meeting July 10.
They declined to comment on the incident, except to say that Miller publicly apologized for the social media comments years ago.
The Enquirer reached out to Miller for comment but did not immediately receive a response Thursday.
Here’s a recap of what happened and what’s next for the district:
‘Despicable’ online comments
Miller posted one of his opinions about gun violence on Facebook the day after at least three people were killed at a video game tournament in Florida in 2018.
In response to another commenter, Miller said he would be OK with the National Rifle Association if “these psychos were just once the victims of a mass shooting.”
Then he commented that people should: “WINK WINK: please shoot Republicans.”
Doan said he became aware of Miller’s “despicable” comments while he was advocating for more public access to a track at the district. He posted about his efforts online, attended a few school board meetings and emailed board members about the issue.
Meanwhile, he said, people began to message him on Facebook about Miller.
“They wanted to stand with me on the issues, but they were afraid because they believed that they might be retaliated against. They specifically mentioned that they were afraid of Mr. Miller,” he said.
Doan received several screenshots of Miller’s online comments, including one where Miller said, “f— the police” and added that police are interested in oppressing people instead of serving the public.
Doan said he began to look into Miller and discovered that he was found guilty of driving under the influence in 2017, after he had been elected to the school board the year before.
A police officer said in Kentucky court records that Miller was “highly intoxicated” and nearly struck the back of a patrol car. Miller’s license was suspended for 90 days, and he was sentenced to a $250 fine and 14 days of conditional jail time.
What happens now?
The now-four-person school board accepted Miller’s resignation.
Sarah Shackelford-Ross was elected chairperson. Rachel Retherford was elected vice-chair. And Teresa Loman Hunter was the other member who voted in support of the changes. Member Marvin Townsend was not in attendance.
Superintendent Chad Molley, who was also in attendance, declined to comment on Miller’s resignation.
Now, the board has 60 days to fill the vacant school board position.
Applications are due by 4 p.m. Aug. 8 and the selected person will serve until Dec. 31, 2026. The public will get the chance to vote for a new board member in November 2026.
More information about the application process can be found on the district’s website.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: School board chairperson’s ‘shoot Republicans’ comment online sparks fallout
Reporting by Jolene Almendarez and Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
