Sonia Hurt's Profanity

Citizen correspondence to Blaine City Council this week includes Downtown Development Submission from Glen Pentland, illegal rezone process from Jay Taber, an update on the Mayor's False Claims and Councilwoman Hurt's response from Madame Watchdog*, and Retention Notice from Otto Pointer.

*Council Member Hurt, thank you for your response to my concerns...Your last and most salient point in your letter was that you “won’t take any shit.” I would like to respectfully remind you that elected officials are held to a higher ethical standard, and I would like to kindly suggest that you refrain from using profanities when replying to citizens in the community. A cornerstone of the democratic system in this country is the encouragement of varying viewpoints and open criticism of the government. This engagement can take many forms including emails, such as this one, collecting signatures for petitions, and speaking out at open meetings. These checks and balances that the citizens bring to the process are a valuable part of the government; without these, there would be a lack of accountability from our elected officials. While I know you have only held office since the start of the new year, I would suggest that you refrain from using profanities as your reaction to concerned citizens who are openly engaging in the democratic process. I feel that to go to the level of profanity is inappropriate and generally counterproductive. I also feel that it sets a bad example for the younger members of our community when their elected officials, in official government communications, are acting in a manner that paints our city in a negative manner. Notably, your email was copied widely throughout the broader community of elected leaders. We certainly do not want these neighboring community leaders to think that profanity is the standard that Blaine’s leaders use in official communications to the citizens.