Hidden comments following “token black person” apology reappear

The comments on a Facebook page maintained by a Prince William County elected official are now visible to the public.

Prince William County Soil and Water Director Tiziana Bottino posted an apology to her “Tiziana for Prince William County Soil and Water Director” Facebook page following a story published by Potomac Local News that detailed the comments Bottino made on this news organization’s Facebook page, on a story about the election of Tim Parrish as the new Prince William County Republican Committee Chairman.

“Yay, now you have your token black person, congratulations!” Bottino wrote in reference to Parrish, who is black.

Bottino sent the same written apology to Potomac Local News the same day she posted it to her Facebook page, on July 2, and a story about the apology appeared on PotomacLocalNews.com shortly thereafter.

Bottino uses the Facebook page to disseminate county information, urge public participation in local government, and used it to organize a “Black Lives Matter Family March” held at the Prince William County Government Center on June 27.

Users quickly took note of her apology, and by 8 p.m. that evening, the post had collected 21 comments. However, just one of the 21 comments Facebook indicated had been posted to the page was visible to the public.

“No one that has ever been around you, knows you and knows what you stand for would ever accuse you of being a racist. I’m so sorry that that intent on misunderstanding you are louder than those standing with you. Prayers for you and your family,” stated the only comment visible on the post.

Many of the other comments that appeared to have been hidden were made visible on Thursday, July 8. They were anything but supportive.

“Your word choice wasn’t wrong, your attitude was wrong. Take responsibility for your actions. You called Mr. Parrish a “token black person” and tried to diminish and marginalize him,” someone wrote.

Many others called her apology, which she used to speak ill of President Donald Trump and former Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman At-large Corey Stewart, insincere.

Many called for her resignation, while others accused her of deliberately hiding the comments.

“Oh, so you leave the one positive comment up and hide or delete the other comments,” one poster wrote.

“Why would you delete comments?” wrote another.

On the morning of July 8, Potomac Local News issued a Freedom of Information Act Request to the Soil and Water Conservation District asking to see the now 27 comments Facebook had noted to be on the page. Three and a half hours later, all of the comments on the post were visible.

“The comments should be showing now, there must have been an error or glitch,” Bottino penned in an email to Potomac Local News.

When asked if she intentionally hid the comments, or if she had to contact technical support to ensure the comments displayed properly, Bottino replied via email with this statement:

“Upon receiving your email I looked at the page to make sure everything was public. Can’t recall the exact steps I took, but I’m glad to hear the page is displaying correctly.”

The hidden comments come after 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyliss Randall At-large violated the First Amendment when she deleted comments made county resident Brian C. Davison, and then banned him from the page. Davison is reportedly a critic of the county’s school board, for asking Randall whether or not the School Board should follow a similar code of ethics that had had been adopted by Randal’s Board of Supervisors.

“She created the Chair’s Facebook Page. She designated the page as belonging to a “governmental official.” She clothed the page in the trappings of her public office. She chose to list her official contact information on the page. And she curated the links in the left column of the page and the lists of Facebook Pages or profiles “liked” by the Chair’s Facebook Page in the right column,” the court’s opinion states.

Bottino was elected Director to Prince William County Soil and Water Conservation District, a political subdivision of the state, last November. She’s one of three elected members who serve on the five-member board, which also includes one member appointed by a state board and a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent.