Huffman resigns

Jay County is without a community developer.

In an email Saturday morning, Jay County Development Corporation director of community development Ami Huffman announced her resignation.

“I have enjoyed my 15 years with Jay County Development but it is time for me to move on to explore a new opportunity,” Huffman said in the email. “I wish the organization and community the best of luck.”

She asked that the resignation be effective as of Friday (Nov. 13).

Contacted Saturday afternoon about Huffman’s resignation, JCDC board president Doug Loy said he “has no comment at this time.”

Huffman’s job status had been the subject of public comment this week at meetings of the Jay County Commissioners and Jay County Council. Some called for she and Blake Watson, an employee of Jay County Visitors and Tourism Bureau, to be removed from their positions because of comments made on Facebook regarding the Oct. 25 “American Patriots Day” event in Portland. Others defended Huffman specifically, noting that she made no call for a “boycott” and referencing the millions in grant dollars she has helped bring to the community.

Watson had made a Facebook post that encouraged residents “not to patronize” businesses that were involved in supporting “American Patriots Day.” (There has been contention about whether the event was a political rally — it was advertised for attendees to support “your country … your president … your Constitutional rights … your military … your police, fire and first responders” — though organizers said it was not intended to be political. Huffman, in an unrelated post in a private Facebook group, said she “took note of the local businesses that support this.”

A screenshot of Huffman’s post was later circulated publicly on Facebook along with Watson’s.

Both original posts were removed, and the visitors and tourism bureau and JCDC issued apologies for the comments later that week.

In response to public remarks Monday, Jay County Commissioners said they were giving the organizations’ respective boards time to go through a review process. (Commissioners supply the bulk of JCDC’s funding while the visitors and tourism bureau is funded via the local innkeepers’ tax.)

Huffman had worked for JCDC in the community development role since August 2005. She had previously served as wellness and grant administrator for St. Vincent Randolph.

During a September meeting during which commissioners increased JCDC’s budget, Huffman noted that as community developer she has helped to bring in more than $22 million in investments to Jay County.