Boyle County Judge-Executive Howard Hunt called a press conference Wednesday afternoon to denounce comments made by Boyle County Magistrate Phil Sammons.

Flanked by Assistant County Attorney Patrick Barsotti, Hunt read a prepared statement for less than five minutes in the fiscal courtroom, then took no questions before returning to his office.

Hunt’s statement follows:

“I as the Boyle County Judge-Executive neither agree with nor embrace the comments put forth by Magistrate Sammons during Tuesday’s fiscal court session.

“Our county has a rich history of putting strong, capable women in key positions. Our citizens will not and should not accept anything less than every individual to be treated with respect and consideration they deserve.

“It is my position that no one should be made to feel uncomfortable while conducting business with Boyle County or on behalf of Boyle County. In an effort to ensure the effectiveness of this court and a welcoming environment we wish to provide for everyone who comes before us, I am requesting that all members of the fiscal court, including myself, receive appropriate training to reinforce this court’s commitment to respect the dignity of every individual and invite all elected officials in Boyle County to join us in this training.

“Just moments ago, I spoke with City Manager Ron Scott, and they have scheduled a diversity training by a law firm in Lexington on Oct. 16. He extended the invitation to our court and to our employees and our elected officials for us to participate in that scheduled training. I have accepted that offer on behalf of the court and I know we will all attend.

“I am in the process of seeking additional training opportunities that will continue to move this court forward in a very professional manner in the future. That is all I have to state about this incident — this unfortunate incident that occurred yesterday.”