Speedo is not alone.

Heinz gained international notoriety at the January 10th directors’ conference when a young man in what appeared to be a Speedo swimsuit and tank top appeared in the background of his video feed. At the time, Heinz was attending a meeting remotely during a Caribbean cruise.Heinz is gay, but the man in question is a friend, not a romantic partner.

This short affair has garnered millions of views online and is funny in a way that has become commonplace during the pandemic.

The Speedo case, more than it matters in and of itself, helped rekindle a long-simmering conflict over Heinz.

Some conservatives and antivirus activists despise Heinz because he strongly supports mask and vaccine mandates. Some are angry with him because of how he interrupted citizens when they spoke during public sessions at the conference. And even now that in-person board meetings have resumed, some still don’t like his frequent appearances remotely.

In short, after suddenly beating incumbent and fellow Democrat Ramon Valadez in 2020 during his first two years as supervisor, Heinz has become a lightning rod for criticism. It comes not only from citizens who oppose his position, but also from two colleagues on the board.

“I never want to speak ill of my co-workers, but it’s a shame Matt wasn’t present (in person),” said fellow Democrat and former Commissioner Superintendent Sharon Bronson.

“Does he exist when he exists? That is what you wonder,” she said. “Do I love him? Do I hate him? just wants him to do his job.”

Counting attendees, of the 20 in-person board meetings since the virtual meeting ended in March 2022, Heinz attended half the time via video feed. That was far more than any of his colleagues.

Then there is the issue of public appeal. At Tuesday’s meeting, supervisor Steve Christie, the only Republican on the five-member board, said citizens would be allowed three minutes each to speak early in every meeting, citing conflict at these meetings. I gave the responsibility to Heinz.

“All responsibility for this confusion and controversy surrounding the public call is the sole responsibility and fault of Matt Heinz,” Christie said at a conference Tuesday. is Heinz, the supervisor.”

Christy et al. look back at a 2021 conference where Heinz repeatedly interrupted Stephanie Kirk. She is a local resident who regularly lashes out at the board and criticizes it on vaccines, immigration policy, election results and other current issues.

Heinz got in her way and didn’t quit at first, even when she was told by then-chairman Bronson that she was out of order. At the next conference, while another speaker denounced pandemic policies, he held up a sign and drew another denunciation. 3 minutes to respond to what he thinks is incorrect information.

On January 24, Kirk stepped up his frenetic attack. Ironically during African-American History Month, she demanded from Heinz, “Matt, can you look at me,” before she was interrupted by her supervisor, Adelita Grijalva. Then Kirk chased after her: “You’re literally nothing, Adelita—shut her mouth.” Kirk’s refusal to stop or leave her meeting delayed the meeting significantly.

Heinz says attendance is 100 percent, even when he’s on vacation or visiting his elderly father in Michigan. These visits, he told me, were one of the reasons he so often attended meetings remotely.

And he refuted Bronson’s claims about the attention he was paying.

“I completely disagree with the idea that I’m staying away just because I’m participating remotely,” he said. I had some of the longest discussions and debates when we were remote.”

Grijalva, the new board chairman, also told me he doesn’t look at Heinz indifferent, saying, “He’s usually very witty.”

Regarding the occasional interruption of the speaker for the three minutes before board meetings, Heinz, a hospitalist and MD who works the night shift, said: To these stupid people who have no idea what they’re talking about explaining the pandemic to me. ”

Since the release of Speedo’s video, public outcry has been particularly vicious. One attendee twice referred to Heinz as a pedophile.

So, at Tuesday’s meeting, it’s perhaps not surprising that Heinz disappeared from the pedestal in the middle of the hearing. Someone snapped a photo of him eating a bagel in the back room — Heinz blamed Christie’s aide Beth Borozin for refusing to comment, and shared the photo with conservative ShockTalk radio host Garrett Lewis. and he posted it on Twitter.

I don’t blame Heinz for walking him during a call to the public when people label him the worst criminal. No one has to put up with it. Also, having supervisors come and go is nothing new. Current and past board members disappeared during previous public offerings.

But it’s worth questioning whether Heinz’s busy schedule as a night-shift doctor is compatible with his work as a Pima County supervisor. Most supervisors have treated their $76,600-a-year jobs as full-time jobs.

And after antagonizing members of the public, it’s no surprise that he’s been met with harsh criticism.

The best way to deal with a speaker you think is crazy is to ignore them and do your job.