PORT TOWNSEND MAYOR Catharine Robinson’s letter chastising fellow City Council member Geoff Masci for calling three council members “godless heathen hippies” during a talk at a dinner in February.
Robinson read the letter aloud at Monday night’s City Council meeting:
When we as City Council members took our oath of office, we gave our word to represent the interests of the community above all else.
When one of us maligns another, that action taints all the individuals involved and shreds the fabric of our community. It goes against the oath of office that we have taken.
This community must be tolerant of differences in race, creed, religion and choice as well as political points of view. Everyone needs to be able to express and participate in a democratic process free of persecution and slander.
If we as a City Council fail to provide this atmosphere, then we fail as a community. If we as individual City Council members fail to demonstrate respect for our differences, then the City Council fails in its job, the community suffers and fails from these individual acts of self-interest.
Recent comments made before the Home Builders Association by a City Council member are reprehensible and do not dignify him as an individual nor show respect for the office he holds.
It also brings unwarranted and inappropriate disrespect onto council and diminishes the character of the community.
All of us have invested too much to allow anyone to compromise the good of the city and allow those statements to go unanswered.
In my view, the council member did not have the authority from this council to represent the interest of the city before the Home Builders. And further, had no right whatsoever to selfishly malign those who serve with him and represent the community to the best of their abilities on this council.
This behavior must stop now.
In the future, if any council member takes any such action, I will bring to council a motion to suspend that council member from city representation on any outside committee or board for at least three months.
Catharine Robinson
Mayor
