ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — The elected county Treasurer for Ross County used hundreds of dollars in taxpayer money to purchase a Christmas tree, and it’s what is on the tree that has many people on both sides of the aisle upset.
Dave Jeffers — a Republican — was elected as County Treasurer in 2020. His office is inside the Ross County Courthouse, which shares a common lobby with several other county offices. On display in the lobby is a six-foot holiday tree with colorful lights and glittery ornaments.
Prominently displayed on the front of the tree are two ornaments that read, “Let’s go, Brandon!”
The phrase is what conservatives use as a code word for something far more vulgar: “F— Joe Biden.” The chant is all the rage among Republicans wondering how to prove their conservative credentials, a not-so-secret handshake showing they’re in step with their party’s base.
So, how did the phrase end up on ornaments inside the county’s lobby?
It all started at an October NASCAR race in Alabama. It was there that Brandon Brown, a 28-year-old driver, had won his first Xfinity Series and was being interviewed by an NBC Sports reporter on live television. The robust and energized crowd behind him was chanting something that was difficult to make out. The reporter suggested they were chanting “Let’s go, Brandon” to cheer the driver, but it became increasingly clear they were actually saying: “F— Joe Biden!”
NASCAR and NBC have since taken steps to limit “ambient crowd noise” during interviews, but it was too late — the phrase already had taken off by becoming a rallying cry for a political party.
Many conservatives across the country have hurled the not-so-cryptic insult in speeches on the floor of Congress, on their social media platforms, and even on clothing. Former President Donald Trump hasn’t missed the moment. His Save America PAC sells a $45 T-shirt featuring “Let’s go, Brandon!” above an American flag. One message to supporters reads, “#FJB or LET’S GO BRANDON? Either way, President Trump wants YOU to have our ICONIC new shirt.”
Jeffers proudly displays the phrase — twice — on the tree inside the county courthouse. Public records obtained by the Guardian show the 32-year-old used $433 in taxpayer money to purchase and decorate the tree earlier this month. Though the Ross County Auditor did not have any records to indicate the political ornaments, themselves, were purchased with tax dollars, the mere display of them on a tax-funded tree inside a county building has caused much upset.
“I believe Mr. Jeffers took an oath to work impartially as our County Treasurer,” expressed Dona Meyer, who is the President of the Ross County Democratic Club. “A Christmas tree purchased with county funds and being displayed in a county office, should not be adorned with a politically charged, euphemistic ornament. It’s unfortunate I find myself referring to something I’ve had to tell my kids so often: just because someone is chronologically an adult, doesn’t mean they behave like one. It is so disappointing to have that apply to a local elected official.”
The courthouse legally falls under the ownership, supervision, and direction of the Ross County Commissioners, whose political makeup is right-leaning; two Republicans and one Democrat. In their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, the Guardian asked the commission if they felt it was appropriate for the ornaments to be in the lobby and if tax dollars should have been spent on the overall display.
Commissioners Doug Corcoran and Dwight Garrett said they were unaware of the political ornaments until the Guardian brought it to their attention. Both men, one a democrat and the latter a Republican took issue with a political statement made in a government building.
“The Auditor, the Treasurer, the Clerk; they are all individually elected officials. A lot of things go on in their areas that is their discretion, but I am not big on [the ornament] being displayed in the courthouse,” said Commissioner Garrett. Corcoran echoed those sentiments.
“I am certainly not in favor of political items on display in the courthouse,” the Democrat added.
Both men said that because it was in the courthouse, which is a building funded with tax dollars that they oversee, they would make a request that the Treasurer removes the items; a request that likely would be ignored.
On Monday, when the Guardian asked Jeffers about the display of the political chants, he said that they would remain.
“[The political ornaments were purchased] personally on my credit card, on an Amazon account, that has nothing to do with the county, nor did I ask for any reimbursement,” Jeffers commented. When asked about the $433 of tax dollars that were spent buying the tree, lights, and glittery decorations, and when asked if he felt it was a good use of the people’s money, the Treasurer stood by his decision.
According to a federal study, the money the Treasurer spent on the tree would feed the average Ohioan for nearly four months. The study shows that the average food stamp SNAP benefit per person in the state was about $121 per month.
“No [it was not a waste of tax dollars]. Decorating the office for Christmas time; it’s an important time of year for everyone.”
When asked if he would reconsider taking the political ornaments down, Jeffers said no.
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