Julie Cohen at the TAB quotes City Council President Laredo plus Councilors Krintzman, Baker, Cote and Lipof about concerns about ‘bullying’ from male colleagues
TAB asks male city councilors about their female colleagues’ concerns
by Village 14 | Jun 26, 2018 | City Council | 5 comments
Does the Tab actually think any of these men will A) Admit it was them or B) Identify who it was…
What does it matter who is targeted by the women? The complaint is not earth shaking. Which women have specific complaints? I bet it is not Emily Norton. She knows how to defend her position on issues. Several new councilors may need time to understand how political interchange takes place. Usually this starts with a tough campaign season.
Why did this problem take so long to surface? Amy brought it to public attention. The women councilors held a secret meeting without inviting male councilors. This sends a bad message to the public, i.e. women forming a block and lining themselves up on gender issues. Very poor strategy, if not for Amy this issue would have been buried.
I still feel that we the public have learned little about the actual
details of the complaint. These rookie councilors seem to need time to learn what government is all about.
Could some of them speak out to the public about their initial expectations and what they have learned during their first 6 months.
Men are the targets here and I believe unfairly at that.
@Colleen Minaker – The targets here were the councilors who were named in the bogus anonymous complaint to the state attorney generals office.
@Colleen Minaker – I don’t know anything more than has been publicly reported, so don’t have all the facts (and presume neither do you), but my understanding was that before the meeting too place, the host got permission from the City Clerk to ensure it would not violate any laws. So while it may have been private meeting it was not a “secret meeting” as you describe it. Also, you chalk it up to novices not understanding “political interchange.” Is that the same as “locker room talk?”
I think if there is any “bad message to the public” from any of this, it is that nearly half of the City Council thinks there is a lack of respect routed in misogyny. That is something that needs to be addressed and the meeting sounds like an effort to do just that.
Colleen, it’s really hard to understand why you continue to insist that Newton’s male councilors have been targeted, left out and treated unfairly! Equally that Newton’s women councilors met in secret, formed a voting block and treated the men unfairly! Are you really that blind to reality.
All of your statements are untrue. You are treating Councilor Norton unfairly by suggesting she isn’t one being treated badly or shouldn’t have attended the meeting. In fact, there was no secret meeting. Ask David Olson if you don’t trust the women. The bad message that has been sent is that some women councilors are being treated differently because they are women.
Why would you believe one of the men councilors saying women aren’t being treated unfairly but just don’t understand passionate disagreement on policies instead of the multiple women councilors who say they have witnessed or experienced being treated badly because they are women?
The men councilors reflections, except possibly Council President Laredo’s, are ludicrous.