Brazoria County, TX — Brazoria County Judge L.M. “Matt” Sebesta issued a public apology Friday for remarks he made during an August 25 Commissioners Court discussion about social media, misinformation and residents who had contacted county officials regarding a tax abatement.
During the meeting, Sebesta criticized information being circulated on social media and questioned whether some people understood the issue being discussed.
At one point, Sebesta compared social media to “the COVID of the community” and criticized people who, he said, repeat information without researching it.
Sebesta also used a “short bus” analogy while describing people copying information from others, a remark that drew criticism from Lucinda Henry, an independent candidate for Brazoria County Judge.
Henry, who said she attended the meeting, released a video criticizing Sebesta’s comments and arguing that residents who contact their government — regardless of whether officials agree with them — should be treated with respect.
Henry also challenged Sebesta’s characterization of the discussion surrounding school funding, pointing to county records she said document Brazoria County funding that supports educational purposes involving Angleton ISD. She acknowledged that the county does not govern the school district or set its tax rate.
On August 28, Sebesta issued a written statement addressing his remarks.
“On August 25, during Commissioners Court, I used a very poor analogy while discussing how quickly false information can be politicized and spread on social media,” Sebesta wrote. “I deeply regret my choice of words and sincerely apologize to anyone I offended or hurt.”
Sebesta said he takes full responsibility for what he said and stated that it would not happen again.
The county judge also pointed to his more than 33 years in elected office and his support for the Brazoria County Association for Children’s Habilitation (BACH), which serves children with special needs.
Sebesta announced he will make a $2,500 donation to BACH as what he described as a demonstration of his continued support for those children and their families.
Henry is running for Brazoria County Judge as an independent and used her response to contrast her approach to public service with Sebesta’s while promoting an upcoming September 3 candidate forum.