Port St. Lucie city hall critic wants apology for being called anarchist by councilwoman
October 29th, 2009 by TCPalm.comPORT ST. LUCIE — City Hall critic Dave Mittler is demanding City Councilwoman Michelle Berger publicly apologize for calling him and his former neighbor, John Methvin, “professional anarchists” during a Sept. 28 City Council meeting.
The issue has Mayor Patricia Christensen reassessing how City Council meetings are conducted.
Mittler’s call for an apology comes after Methvin called the City Council office about two weeks ago demanding Berger apologize for making the remark or he would show up at the next council meeting with “guns loaded,” a statement he later said was a figure of speech.
Mittler called Berger’s office Tuesday demanding she retract her statement or he would sue her.
“I’m an unpaid advocate,” Mittler said. “I’m not a professional anarchist. If you look at some of the definitions of anarchist, it’s tied with terrorism. I don’t want my name tied to that.”
According to the city’s rules of decorum governing the council meetings, “No personal verbal attacks toward any individual will be allowed during the conduct of a city council meeting.”
The rules also say city employees and the public appearing before the council “shall refrain at all times from rude and derogatory remarks, reflections as to integrity, abusive comments and statements as to motives and personalities.”
Mittler, who frequently attends council meetings, speaking out against drainage issues and the way the council conducts the public comment portion of the meetings, said council members are trying to discredit him and Methvin for exposing truths and wrongdoings at City Hall by “making us appear to be nuts.”
“People don’t come to the City Council to be called rude and insulting remarks,” Mittler said. “I may get up there and say, ‘You’re a pile of crap, but I’m mad. They are politicians and aren’t supposed to behave that way.”
Christensen said Wednesday she’s been very “liberal” and tolerant of personal attacks and derogatory remarks made at council meetings, saying she’s a firm believer in the First Amendment right to free speech.
The council amended the rules of decorum last year after City Manager Don Cooper used foul language after a citizen personally attacked Cooper during a meeting and accused him of misappropriating millions of dollars, Christensen said.
However, she said she has not enforced the rules and would ask the City Council at its Nov. 9 meeting whether it wants her to begin enforcing them.
“If they (citizens) don’t want the council to express their opinion, then nobody’s going to be allowed to express their opinion,” she said.
Berger made the anarchist comment at the Sept. 28 council meeting after Mittler got into an argument with Don Cooper while Mittler was speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting. Mittler was later escorted out of council chambers by a police officer after he refused to stop speaking when his time was up. Berger made the remark after Mittler had already been escorted out.
Berger, who couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday, has said she would not apologize.
Christensen defended Berger’s comments and said police, on several occasions, have had to remove Mittler from council meetings after he became disruptive.
“I thought Michelle Berger was within her right by making that comment,” Christensen said. “She was expressing her feelings. We have a right to express our opinions. Just because we’re elected officials, we haven’t given up our right to free speech.”
Alexi Howk
Tags: anarchist, apology, city council, dave mittler, john methvin, michelle berger, patricia christensen, Port St. Lucie, sue, terrorist
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October 29th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Berger is nothing but and arrogant **** along with all the other council members. They as an elected body have done nothing but lied and cheated the taxpayers for years with their back door deals. Too get respect you must earn it, Berger or any other council member havent earned that respect with the way they conduct business.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Mittler states he does not want to be associated with the label “terrorist”, but his statement about going to the council meeting “guns loaded” is a terrorist remark. Anyone who acts to bring intense fear to another is committing a “terrorist” act. Therefor Mittler can be referred to as a “terrorist”. (The terms “terrorism” and “terrorist” (someone who engages in terrorism) carry strong negative connotations. These terms are often used as political labels, to condemn violence or the threat of violence by certain actors as immoral, indiscriminate, unjustified.) It seems to me that Mittler statement falls into this category.
October 29th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I have no dog in this fight.
That said, he can call her a pile of crap and its alright, but as soon as she calls him something, its a problem? Wow. Grow a pair.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:12 am
And yet the **** of America continues. Hey Mittler you need to man up and and while you are at it you may want to *********. So you were called a name, how you react to what others do and say defines what kind of person you are. Hmmm, what does that make you?