Councilman's Column by Jesse Alber

On Tuesday, at the November City Council Meeting, I found myself on the receiving end of discussion of disciplinary action for comments I made at the October City Council Meeting directed toward Mayor Keri Schunk. The complaint was brought forward by Mr. Chuck Hewitt & Mr. Eddie Schmidt, two residents who were not even present at the October meeting. The comments arose during discussions of a complaint brought forward by Sylvia Alber about issues with her utilities and trash billing and services. During this discussion, I found Mayor Schunk's examination of, and statements toward Mrs. Alber to be hostile, aggressive, unprofessional and mean spirited. Although Mrs. Alber had just explained to Mayor Schunk that she did not address some of her concerns earlier because they occurred right around the time of her husband's death, Mayor Schunk still continued to attack Mrs. Alber like a Pit-Bull. Mayor Schunk contends that I misunderstood her comments. Had Mayor Schunk treated any other citizen of Blue Hill in this manner (which she often has) I would have been offended, but when Mayor Schunk was addressing someone I love in this manner, I was more than outraged. Sometimes the best way to get someones attention is with the use of vocabulary that is intended to elicit an emotional response and that is exactly what I did. I referred to Mayor Schunk as an insensitive BITCH!! Urban Dictionary provides over 240 common usages of the word bitch in the modern English language, almost all of which are slang applications. Definitions on Urban Dictionary are provide by individuals who actually use the words and are not intended to be literal definitions. Some of the definitions that I feel apply to my use of the word include;

• a malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, esp. a woman
• a woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing
• an unpleasant or irritating female
• a woman who would say things that if she were a man, she would be confronted or assaulted. (using her position as a woman as a shield)
• a women with a bad attitude
• a domineering, spiteful female
• a control freak that always thinks she is right, and constantly corrects everyone
• a woman who tells everything straight up and bluntly
• a female who is, all in all, not pleasant to be around
• a person who tells it like they think it is and doesn't hold anything back

By almost all, the word is considered to be insulting, by many, it is considered to be offensive and by some it is even considered vulgar or profane. However, the FCC has defined profanity as “including language so grossly offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to amount to a nuisance.” The word in question is not considered to be profanity by the FCC regardless of application or context. It is often heard on prime-time television broadcasts or on morning radio.

I am willing to express my apologies to those who were in attendance who may have been offended by my comment and I expressed that willingness at the meeting. However, I do not extend an apology to Mayor Schunk as I feel the word accurately depicted her nature at the time it was used. I am also unwilling to express an apology to those who were not present to witness the actions of Mayor Schunk that elicited the comment, and I am offend by their demands for an appology or resignation without having experienced the events in question.

Despite discussion on the adjective preceeding this word, I assure you it was insensitive, had it been any other, or if others had percieved it to be otherwise, for this I do sincerly appologize to any and all.

After discussion of this topic, Mr. Schmidt expressed his regrets that I represented him as a Member of the City Council, and his belief that the council had accomplished nothing. I regret if I have been unable to fulfill the expectations of Mr. Schmidt or any other members of the community in my capacity or if my use of this word leads any to believe that I am unqualified to hold this office. However, considering Mayor Schunk's routinely non-professional conduct at council meetings and her specific actions at the October meeting, I do not regret my use of the term. I will continue to act on my conscious and work toward those issues that I feel are in the best interest of the city, regardless of their popularity.