Registered sex offender in line to be next Jay city manager
The small town of Jay is set to appoint a convicted sex offender as its new town manager. Current Town Manager Eric Seib has been working part time since September and on July 3 will officially retire from the position.
April Watson, who was made operations manager by unanimous vote of the Jay Town Council on the same night Seib stepped back from full time duty, is scheduled to become the next town manager, according to Jay Mayor Shon Owens. Committing to the higher profile job opened the door to public scrutiny and the revelation that Watson pleaded no contest in 2010 to three charges of engaging in unlawful sexual activity with minors and is a registered Florida sex offender.
Owens confirmed he was aware of Watson’s status and the crimes committed “a long, long, long time ago.” “I’m not familiar with details of the case against her,” Owens said. “I do know that she’s the right person for the job. There is a great deal of confidence within the community in her ability to do the job.”
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Congrats for her but dont get me wrong when I say this, but women get treated completely different than men on the registry. Any news article with women being the perpetrators and the comment section applauds the boys and men wish for them or their sons to be victims of women. Then turn it around for a man and its nonstop death threats or wishes. How many women on the registry live almost completely normal lives and then compare it to men who are mostly homeless, unemployed, miserable, suffering and ready to throw in the towel. Yes life is meant to be a challenge and not easy but life was never meant to be impossible to exist and try to survive. Then again the double standards dont stop there and go on for tons of other things and always against men. Many the government does which I dont understand why why cant sue for gender discrimination for the long list of discriminations against us.
Registered women from among our membership may view things differently.
Congratulations to Ms. Watson for her dedication and commitment to making herself a better person and for having the guts to put herself out there, despite knowing the blowback she would probably receive, in order to make her part of the world a better place.
And now just to show how idiotic the registry requirements are, I beg Ms. Watson not to forget to update her employment information to reflect her new position and the new location of her employer. I dont know where the Jay city government is located, but how ironic would it be if it were in the same building as the sheriff’s office?
Congrats again, it gives us all hope!
wouldn’t it be ironic if her new place of employment was in an exclusion zone!
FAC, as much as I respect your advocacy, you still have to face reality. With as much media attention as this is getting it won’t be long before the mayor will be backed into a corner and will be forced to remove this woman.
I’m not aware of any pressure to remove her.
Look at the climate surrounding any registrant being promoted, elected, or elevated to any place of authority over others. Once protesters come out the mayor will go back on their decision and remove the registrant from said position of authority.
What gives you any indication that’s happening?
Well….this is what is being said online:
Protests and public outrage over individuals with sex offender histories being appointed to or running for government positions often erupt when community trust is violated. Recent high-profile examples of this issue highlight how local governments, labor unions, and elected offices handle such controversies:
1. Florida Town Manager Appointment
The Event: The town council in Jay, Florida unanimously appointed April Watson, a registered sex offender, as the town manager. She pleaded no contest in 2010 to three charges of unlawful sexual activity with minors.
The Backlash: The appointment generated intense community and regional backlash. Mayor Shon Owens publicly defended the decision, stating that she was “the right person for the job” and had the council’s confidence, despite residents’ concerns over her criminal history.
2. Fresno City Council Candidate
The Event: Rene Campos, a registered sex offender with a conviction for child sexual abuse material, launched a campaign for the Fresno City Council in District 7.
The Backlash: The candidacy sparked community fury and widespread debate, with local school officials contacting police after Campos held a news conference feet away from a public elementary school. In response, five city council members pledged to support a ban on registered sex offenders holding seats on the council. Ultimately, Campos failed to qualify to appear on the official primary ballot.
3. Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
The Event: The San Francisco chapter of the SEIU hired Noelia Linares, who was previously charged in 2017 with sex crimes against minors at a high school, to serve as a business agent.
The Backlash: The hiring drew national outrage and prompted the House Education and Workforce Committee to launch a congressional investigation into the union’s hiring practices. Following the committee’s inquiries, the union chapter terminated Linares.
I guess, only three cases doesn’t paint an accurate depiction, but, I kind of concur that there is always a backlash whenever a RSO is trying to move forward in any position within the government, that be a local or state.
Where you write that April Watson’s appointment generated “intense community and regional backlash,” what source(s) are you looking at? Was her appointment pulled?
Well, if we had those charges, but were off of the registry, it would be better because if you are approved with your charges but not approved later because of the registry, that seems no fair. So let us off these damn registries and maybe jobs could be filled.
But instead, many of us have to be on food stamps, social security or disability just to survive due to not being able to get a job or getting one and then getting let go after someone complains and makes a stink big enough to force us out.
I will say this. I feel like because the topic person was a woman it is overlooked easier then if she would had been a male.
I was thinking the same thing
I actually saw this full story on Yahoo news, and the comment section was enlightening. I was actually surprised how many people were of the opinion “She did her time, let her move on”. Of course there were just as many saying she should be banned form society, but those we expect. I left a positive comment, it’s another opportunity to get some positive feedback out there for a change.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/exclusive-registered-sex-offender-line-103030517.html
I added a PFR-positive comment.
Please everybody do the same (if you haven’t already).
We CAN sway minds!
Look I do not condone what she did, PERIOD. But people do change. People get caught up in a situation and then dont know how to get help, rather than swallow their pride and say “I need help in this area of my life.” they get stuck. Once stuck you still feel horrible but justify it. Its like a metal square, the more you grind on the concrete the let pointy the edges are.
I really hope she gets in, does a great job and makes us all proud. Then would have someone to point to as a publicly talked about success story. Yes we have those here and everywhere but this one is public. People change. I am not even close to the same person I was 31 years go.