At last night’s city council meeting, Matt Kunz made a weeping apology for his reprehensible behavior at the previous city council meeting. Over the past few weeks, Kunz has been all over the board with comments about his inexcusable behavior. With his public comments and on-line posts, he kept digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself. First, he stated he was merely “coaching” Joe Longoria to be a better “player.” (It seems every situation in Mr. Kunz’s life lends itself to a football analogy.) Then, he decided a better tack was to assert that Joe Longoria was the aggressor and he (Kunz) was just standing his ground. Now he is apologizing for the “tone” of his comments and for kicking an injured player when he is down (yes, a fitting football analogy).
And of course, Kunz takes the obligatory swipe at citizens that have dared to criticize him at this blog and elsewhere. Furthermore, he makes an assertion that has become a tedious refrain at council meetings. Kunz and other Council members assert that citizens who criticize and expose local politicians are “violating the First Amendment” and “abusing their First Amendment rights.” It is furthermore asserted that such criticism is slanderous and is hate speech that might lead to violence in Milton. Ironically, the closest we have come to violence in Milton is Mr. Kunz’s rage incident a few weeks ago.
Sadly, Mr. Kunz is mirroring assaults (from both the extreme right and extreme left) on Free Speech (and other First Amendment rights) that we are seeing on the national level. An example is the establishment of Free Speech “zones” on most college campuses–a painted box on some pavement in an obscure part of campus, where students are allowed to express their political views. I suspect that we will soon see attempts by some council members to limit public comment at City Council meetings. We have already witnessed a few attempts by council members to prod the City into issuing “official” positions on controversial policy issues.
Some City Council members’ profound ignorance and/or disregard for the Constitution should be of great concern to citizens, as council members take an oath to uphold the Constitution. How can you uphold laws that you fundamentally don’t understand and/or don’t respect?
I will leave you will a little levity. Following is a humorous YouTube video about a “YouTube Apology Service.” (And yes, this blog can sometimes get a little snarky.)
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I would comment on Hatcher Hurd’s op-ed about incivility in the Milton Herald. (Click on link for op-ed: Milton Herald Op-Ed on Civility in Politics) However, as often happens with our Milton City Council, material presented itself that I could not ignore. Specifically, Milton’s citizens were shocked by Councilman Matt Kunz’s out-of-control rage that resulted in “near violence” . . . Councilman Longoria’s words, not mine. I was the only citizen to witness the event and I agree with Longoria’s assessment; he was right to disengage from Kunz. The subsequent council meeting was equaling appalling, as what should have been a perfunctory council meeting was hijacked for political purposes.
The August 28th events are a good segue to my response to Mr. Hurd’s op-ed in the Milton Herald. Mr. Hurd was non-specific about the sources and causes of incivility in our community. I was puzzled that Mr. Hurd did not mention the extreme misbehavior of some council members not only in Milton, but also in Roswell and Johns Creek. In Milton, council members’ tirades and attacks on citizens in the audience have become routine to the point of tedium. In Johns Creek, a councilor stormed out of a town hall meeting, spewing invective as she went.
Let’s not forget who establishes the threshold for civility in Milton: our elected leaders. To the extent a culture of incivility exists, Council Members are largely responsible for it, a point Mr. Hurd overlooks. My Navy and business experience (and volumes of leadership books back me up) tells me that leaders establish the culture of an entity, including government. And it is abundantly clear that some of Milton’s elected leaders have set the bar very low for civility in Milton. Citizens have now been witness to no less than six singularly uncivil temper tantrums from council members in council meetings. On one occasion, these outbursts included overt threats to stop doing business with the Milton Herald.Council members have screamed at citizens and used incendiary words like “hate” and “lynch.” And unfortunately, the nastiness of some Council members has percolated to their appointees on committees. In one incident, a committee chairman had to be gently removed from a confrontation with the mayor by the City Manager, while police converged on the scene.
In contrast to some council members, citizens have been relatively restrained in their behavior. Milton’s citizens are polite—perhaps to a fault. However, politeness can only be stretched so far. About two years ago, when the strong influence of Special Interests became painfully obvious, a handful of citizens began to push back on City Council. Over time, more and more citizens joined the movement (one Councilman’s descriptor) for accountable government. This resulted in over 1800 citizens signing (in less than 4 weeks) an 8-point petition on smart land use and good governance. And it also resulted in an overflow crowd at a rezoning hearing—a first in Milton’s history.
Certainly, the passion of citizens is sometimes intense . . . Milton’s citizens care about their community. However, what some might describe as citizen incivility is better described as righteous indignation. And it has led to a citizen awakening in Milton that has encouraged candidates to finally step forward and challenge the status quo. This is a positive development. Milton has not had competitive elections since 2011, and it shows. Elections provide clarity about issues facing the community. Choice is good. We, including Mr. Hurd, should be celebrating a return to competitive politics in Milton. Let’s exult in the vigorous exercise of citizens’ First Amendment political liberties: free speech, free assembly, and the right to petition. Let’s have vicious debate among friends about the issues that matter most in Milton! Let’s celebrate democracy in Milton, with all of the messiness that might entail!
When posting about 9-11, one’s first instinct might be to post photos of that awful day. Of course, the most dreadful photos were of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. These images were surreal in their horror. However, 16 years have passed. And during that time, the area in and around where the Twin Towers stood has been redeveloped . . . reborn, if you will. As it always does, America stood up to its enemies and is today stronger than ever. So today, it seems more fitting to celebrate a stronger, more determined America with a photo of today’s One World Trade Center (still known to many as The Freedom Tower). This new skyscraper conveys a sense of America’s soaring spirit and resilience.
Of course, there will always be threats to our freedoms. These threats take many shapes and forms. They come from without and within. Some threats are overt; others are more insidious, but no less harmful. As Thomas Jefferson stated regarding such threats: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” However, as 9-11 and other such events in our nation’s history demonstrate, sometimes vigilance is not enough. Citizens must confront threats to our freedoms. Citizens must show courage. Locally, many citizens have been doing exactly that . . . standing up for Free Speech, Free Assembly, and the Right to Petition—all First Amendment rights. These are rights that must be vigorously defended and exercised to ensure their endurance. That is one of the most important lessons of 9-11.
Today, I want to thank Milton’s realtors for their support for smart land use over the past many months. More than anyone else, realtors are the community’s experts on property values. Every day, they deal with buy-sell transactions of property. They see the numbers on home values. They know what enhances a home’s value and what does not. Realtors understand the critical importance of sense of place in supporting and increasing high property values in Milton. They understand the threats to property values from poorly managed development. And many of these realtors have “skin in the game” in that they live in Milton—i.e., their home values and quality of life are affected by the development decisions made in Milton. Thankfully, many of these real estate agents have not been shy about expressing their concerns about land use in Milton. I have identified nearly 3 dozen that have signed the Milton Coalition’s anti-CSO and/or Smart Land Use petitions. Quite a few Milton realtors had advocated passionately for smart land use.
In many ways, real estate agents share diametrically opposed views to developers. Most developers are transactional—i.e., narrowly focused on maximizing the profit of a specific development. They tend not to take a broader market-based view. They follow the money. Once an area is built out and its market potential is exploited, these developers are off to the next lucrative market. Most Milton developers do not live in Milton. For those developers that do live in Milton, their development interests generally outweigh any personal interests they may have—that is, the value of their property pales in comparison to profits made from development. Lastly, developers are not shy about spreading around money to ensure their interests are protected. In Milton, it is amazing how much influence a large campaign contribution can buy.
This is not to say that there are not good developers in Milton. There certainly are honest, decent developers that want to be good stewards of the land and the community. They understand and are faithful to Milton’s sense of place. These developers tend to be smaller developers that actually live in Milton.
Over the last 22 months, it has become clear to me that realtors’ interests are closely aligned with the interests of citizens. They act as a counterweight to reckless development. We are fortunate to have so many fine realtors that understand and want to protect the specialness of Milton: the four-board fences, the gravel roads, the horse farms, and the tree-lined streets. Milton’s specialness makes homes in Milton a good investment. Accordingly, I’d like to give a big shout-out to Milton’s realtors. Thanks for your support of smart land use and good governance.
Today’s post has nothing to do with our focus on good governance and smart land use. Rather, my wife and I visited a wonderful Milton business that I thought I’d share with you. We like the notion of supporting local businesses 1) to keep Milton’s commercial districts healthy and 2) to keep tax dollars flowing into our city’s coffers.
The business is Urban Tea. It is a family-owned, one-of-a-kind store that sells over 100 different teas. You can also order various tea drinks to go. Or alternatively, there is a large Communi-Tea table (seats 10) at the rear of the store, where you can sit and enjoy tea service. We did a tea tasting, which included 6 pots of tea for each person, which is more tea than one can possibly drink. You can choose 6 teas from over 100 on their menu. The pots are brought to you individually. A scone with jam and cream is included. The scones come from Seven Sisters Scones in Johns Creek, another one-of-a-kind, family business.
Urban Tea is located on Windward Parkway in the same shopping location as Five Guys and Chipotle—just south of the Home Depot. The store is wedged between 2 larger stores; it is no more than 12 feet wide, so is easy to miss. The service and tea itself were both excellent. It is so nice to have such a wonderful specialty store located within the confines of our city. If you enjoy tea, I highly recommend Urban Tea. It is important to support our local Milton businesses.
Note: Regarding yesterdays’ blog post on the 9-11 remembrance at Milton High School, I wanted to alert you that Cambridge High School will also set out nearly 3000 flags on its front lawn. Volunteers are needed to set up the display on September 9th at 4 pm. A remembrance book will provided near the memorial where visitors can write memories of that day.
Today, the flags went up at Milton High School to honor and remember those who died on 9-11. There is an individual flag for each person that perished, with a few exceptions–e.g., for moms with unborn babies (see photo below.) The flags are placed in rows on the front law. This is a tradition going back many years when Maren Smith started this remembrance.
A few dozen students and a few adults were involved in attaching pennants with the names of those that perished to the flags. We worked past sunset. The named flags are arranged in alphabetical order to allow visitors to easily find loved ones.
Mostly students attaching name pennants to each flag
It was heartwarming to witness students with no memories of the actual event planting flags and attaching name pennants. These sorts of events remind us of the rights, like Free Speech, that define our national identity. These events motivate us to defend those freedoms against incursions, both external and internal.
A student-led remembrance will be held at Milton High School, starting at 7:45 am on September 11th. I have previously attended these ceremonies and they are quite moving. Please consider attending
This article is a must-read for citizens who have an interest in land use. Staff reporter Joe Parker captured the essence of the Ebenezer re-zoning, despite its complexities and Parker not being present at the rezoning hearings.
The Ebenezer rezoning provides a theory-to-practice case study of “conservation” subdivisions. The theory postulated that the 65 acres on Ebenezer would support 55 homes under AG-1 zoning. In fact, theoretical yield plans were created by Brightwater Homes that showed how an AG-1 zoned subdivision might be laid out. These plans for the property ostensibly “proved” 55 homes, then 50 homes, and finally 48 homes were possible under existing AG-1 zoning. Unfortunately, such theoretical yield plans do not consider the practical realities of development.The fatal flaw of the Ebenezer yield plans was that they effectively ignored whether the property’s soils would support septic systems. Brightwater’s second theoretical yield plan placed some septic fields partly/fully in soils that would not support septic—that is, the soils would not perc . . . a frequent issue in Milton that keeps housing density low. This discrepancy was initially found by a layman on Ebenezer Road who overlaid the theoretical yield plan on the soils map for the property. A local development professional was then engaged, who performed detailed analysis and confirmed that the yield plan was terribly flawed. Of course, there were other issues that also cast doubt on whether the land would really support 48-55 homes—for example, steeply sloped land that seemed uneconomic to develop. And there were further concerns about whether land covered with septic drip lines could really be considered “green space.”
It took a lot of work, but those of us who opposed the re-zoning persuaded enough Council Members that the Brightwater plans were flawed. And now our arguments are being validated by the actual build-out of the subdivision: 21 homes on the most attractive 38 acres. It is unlikely that the remaining 27 acres will support more than 8 additional homes. In any case, the development of the remaining undeveloped land will be delayed. And delayed development is conservation. So the instead of 48 – 55 homes on 65 acres proposed by Brightwater, it seems existing zoning will likely support < 30 homes. The denial of the Ebenezer rezoning was clearly a win for the community. More importantly, the Ebenezer rezoning educated citizens about development schemes meant to bend and break the rules to achieve higher density housing than existing zoning allows.
Fortunately, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) developed in the wake of the Ebenezer rezoning erased all references to so-called “conservation” subdivisions. The CLUP is a plan that, through citizen workshops, captures the aspirations of the community for land use. The CLUP was approved by the 17-member committee that drafted it and then was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission. However, the battle is still not over. Two Council Members—Lusk and Kunz—have vowed to continue the promote rural cluster housing. Accordingly, both Lusk and Kunz voted against CLUP.
Note: I have driven out to the Ebenezer property several times. Brightwater Homes has certainly made an effort to conserve as many trees as possible and are to be commended for that.
As you know the City has been swirling in controversy since Monday when two City Councilmen savaged a fellow City Council member over an innocent mistake. There was little/no negative impact to the City from the missed qualifying deadline. Rather, the negative press and associated embarrassment came from Mr. Kunz’s temper tantrum followed by his and Lusk’s unrelenting attacks on a colleague in the subsequent Council meeting. This was not a “coaching moment” as Mr. Kunz originally asserted. (Note: he is now changing his story . . . read below.) It was more like kicking a injured player while he is down. Remember that Council Member Longoria was recused from the discussion and therefore could not defend himself. And notice that there is a time when Longoria is tempted to respond (one can only take so much abuse) and Kunz warns him that he is not allowed to speak . . . another kick to the groin.
When finally allowed to speak, Longoria took the high road and merely apologized for the inconvenience he had caused the City. That is called “manning up” . . . something Kunz is clueless about.
Of course, Kunz is now changing his story. He no longer asserts that this was just a “coaching moment” or that his “passion” just got the better from him. Now, he has completely changed his story. He now asserts at his Matt Kunz Gov Facebook page:
“The fact is, and his own picture proves this, that the other Councilman left his chair and came to mine. That’s why we stood by my seat. I did not go to him. He came to me. I stood my ground. I will not make any judgments to the other Councilman’s intent.”
So you see Kunz is now implying that Longoria was the aggressor and that Kunz was merely defending himself. That is quite a change to Kunz’s story. I suppose the coaching moment/passion version of events was not cutting muster with citizens, so Kunz is now making himself out to be the victim. I am very curious to see how imaginative Kunz’s third and subsequent versions of the confrontation might be. A body double version might be interesting or maybe a version that includes divine intervention. Perhaps readers of this blog might suggest plot twists for Mr. Kunz.
The problem for Kunz is thatquite a few people witnessed the confrontation at various points in time. My sense is that witness accounts would not corroborate Mr. Kunz’s story. I only caught the worst of it, which was the last minute when Kunz was yelling at the top of his lungs and flailing about. My sense is that the City needs to address this issue. This includes interviews of the two participants and all witnesses to the event. Based on an analysis of the events, the City should take appropriate corrective action. The City needs to reassure citizens, particularly our youth, that it does not sanction such misbehavior.
Citizens, nearly 22 months have passed since citizens came together (in the CSO debate) to push for smart land use and good governance. It was a David-and-Goliath struggle, pitting citizens against Special Interests and their agents on Council. Through hard work and organization, citizens prevailed. The truth was on our side; the CSO was defeated. Then came the battle over Ebenezer. Again, there was a long and protracted battle. And again, citizens prevailed. The truth of Ebenezer is now being borne out by the facts on the ground—i.e., the property is being developed at a far lower density than the defeated rezoning would have allowed. Since Ebenezer, we have gradually advanced the cause of citizens to the point where citizens are in an advantaged position. We are now witnessing the desperate acts of politicians who have fallen out of favor with citizens. Citizens, we need to be careful not to be baited or otherwise dragged into the mud. Mr. Kunz is his own worst enemy. He is only hurting himself with his excuses, denials, and changing stories. I am looking forward to Kunz’s Hail Mary Pass. Citizens will be standing ten feet tall in the end zone.
Blog Statistics. We have had around 550 views since Monday and over 700 viewings of Monday’s video clips. Thanks for staying engaged. Informed citizens are critical to good governance
I witnessed Kunz lose his temper on Monday. As a consultant, I have worked for many dozens of companies. I have seen several people lose their temper, mostly behind closed doors and not so up-close-and-personal. However, I have never seen an outburst in the workplace like I witnessed on Monday. I have never seen a person in the workplace publicly get in someone’s face like that. I have never seen an incident so extreme that security was called. And I honestly believe that what I saw on Monday would be a fire-able offense at many/most companies. There was a time when such behavior–and other testosterone-fueled behaviors–were tolerated in the workplace; those days have long passed, except perhaps in Milton’s city government.
After a lot of time to think about it, the best excuse that Mr. Kunz could come up with is that he was applying a coaching technique. He condescendingly asserts that he was helping Joe Longoria to become a better “player.” By Mr. Kunz’s reckoning, he was just performing a good deed for his fellow man. He was misunderstood. And I suppose Joe Longoria and the rest of us are just a bunch of ingrates. Is it Kunz’s intention to similarly “coach” his constituents to make them “better” citizens?
It is amazing that Kunz would be unapologetic and use the tired excuse that his extreme temper tantrum was just “locker room” behavior. How many times have we, especially women, heard that before? Boys will be boys, huh?
Kunz chalks it all up to passion. However, I can tell you that what I witnessed was not passion. It was clear for all to see that Kunz was out of control. Staff were clearly concerned . . . so much so that the police were summoned.
Most importantly, let’s not forget who establishes the tone and culture of our city government: our elected leaders.They should be held to a (much) higher standard. I have now been witness to no less than six extended outbursts from Council members in Council meetings. And unfortunately, the bad behavior of some Council members has percolated to their appointees on committees. In one incident (video to be released later), a committee chairman (with a history of bad behavior) had to be gently removed from a confrontation with the mayor by the City Manager, while police converged on the scene. And with that incident, the City once again looked away.
So it is fair to ask some questions to the city and ourselves? Does Kunz’s meltdown really reflect our aspirations for the City?Does it improve the culture of our City government (as Mr. Kunz ridiculously asserts)? Is it more or less likely that citizens and staff will engage our Council (most notably Mr. Kunz) knowing that we might be “coached” in such a manner? You get the point. Kunz set a real poor example. Mr. Kunz showed singularly poor leadership, no matter how you cut it. And he continues to show poor leadership by making up a bunch of lame excuses for his behavior. (Yes, I think it is fair to say that Mr. Lou Holtz would be more than disappointed in Kunz.) I suppose it will be left to citizens to drag our City out of the gutter, where Mr. Kunz (and Mr. Lusk) have left it.
The blog really went viral yesterday. Tons of hits. The posted videos have been watched many hundreds of times. Thank you for your ongoing support. To achieve better governance, the City needs your continued engagement.Our hopes for improved governance lie with you, the citizens. — TB
Photo From Yesterday’s Meeting: Is this an open meeting with whispered conferences?
August 29, 2017
Author: Tim Becker
Concerned Citizens:
Yesterday was a new low point in the politics of our City. Two City Council members took it upon themselves to viciously attack a sitting Council member (and a citizen in the audience . . . me). Following are a number of video clips from that meeting. They will shock and disgust any reasonable citizen. And they epitomize the issues of good governance that we have been discussing at this blog.
However, the worst attack came before the meeting. Matt Kunz was so out-of-control that the police had to be called. I arrived at the meeting early and was in the lobby. A number of staff were disturbed by Council Member Matt Kunz’s confrontation of his fellow Council Member Longoria in Council Chambers. Kunz was yelling at the top of his lungs and flailing about. Staff stated that the confrontation had been going on for 10 minutes and that it had been escalating. Staff had called security. I myself observed Mr. Kunz’s confrontation and I can tell you that he was clearly out-of-control and there was a potential for violence–e.g., he might take a swing at Longoria.
Mr. Kunz’s confrontation continued even after the 2 separated and were seated in anticipation of the Council Meeting.
(Note: a police officer did sit in the meeting for its entirety.)
Although more “calm” for the meeting, Mr. Kunz went on 2 rambling, yelling tirades in the meeting. And rather than calm down his confederate, Council Member Bill Lusk added fuel to the fire and went on his own rambling tirade against Longoria (and again against me).
So what was the issue that so agitated Mr. Kunz to the point that security was called? It was a simple mistake that Mr. Longoria made: he missed the time to qualify for his Council seat by 4 minutes on Friday. He got wrong the deadline for filing, thinking it was 5:30 pm, instead of 4:30 pm. Because no one had qualified for the District 3 post, qualification had to be re-opened. So this was Longoria’s grand offense. Based on this honest and innocent mistake, Kunz (with an assist from Mr. Lusk) savaged Mr. Longoria–first in private, and then on the Council dais. Mr. Longoria could not even speak as he was recused from the discussion . . . talk about kicking somebody when they are down. (I similarly had to sit in silence as I was attacked.) According to Mr. Kunz, the missed qualification deadline shows that Longoria is lazy, uncommitted, lacks passion, feels entitled to his seat, etc. It was a stunning over-reaction from Lusk and Kunz. Furthermore, it demonstrated a shocking disrespect for a fellow Council Member. Citizens, we need to rally around and support Mr. Longoria in this matter.
Based on what I and others witnessed, you have to question not only Mr. Kunz’s fitness for office, but more fundamentally whether Mr. Kunz should be allowed to continue to interact with staff or citizens in an official capacity. I am quite sure that a citizen who confronted a Council Member in such a fashion would likely be banned from City Hall and interacting with city staff. And remember, as an elected official, Mr. Kunz should be held to a (much) higher standard than a citizen. And for Mr. Lusk to aid and abet this sort of behavior is unconscionable.
So here goes with the video clips, in chronological order.
First is a video clip from the beginning of the meeting. The City Attorney clearly states that Council should follow state law and “best practice” and extend qualification for 2 days. He views the approval as perfunctory. On FIVE different occasions during the meeting, the City Attorney advises, based on the law, that Council extend the qualification period, providing myriad reasons for doing so. Kunz and Lusk do not seem to understand or care about state law; they have a different agenda that does not involve following state law.
Following is a bizarre and rambling tirade from Kunz. It is provided in its entirety. It shows a Council Member who is clearly out-of-control.
Immediately after Kunz’s meltdown, Council Member Lusk continues the tirade. Instead of pulling his closest political ally off the ledge, he gets on the ledge with him . . . doubling down on the vitriol. Notice that Lusk refers to the recent redistricting scandal as “perfectly legal and transparent.” Remember that not a single citizen knew about the redistricting . . . NOT one. That is Mr. Lusk’s definition of transparency . . . unbelievable. Note also Mr. Lusk’s hyperbolic and incendiary language, including use of the word “lynch.” Mr. Lusk has moved far beyond incivility in his remarks. Lastly, Mr. Lusk asserts that Council is bending and breaking the rules to extend the qualifying period . . . this despite the City Attorney clearly stating that the extension is essentially mandated by state law.
Following is an immediate and clear rebuttal by the City Attorney of Mr. Lusk’s assertion that Milton would be breaking the rules with the qualification extension. Mr. Lusk and Kunz would be told no less than 5 times that the extension would be following, not breaking, state law.
Following is my favorite video. For months, the City has been roiling in debate over transparency. The State of Georgia has an Open Meetings Law. I would contend that these sorts of private conversations are a clear and public violation of that law.
This is a really good video. Mayor Lockwood makes it very clear that he is not going to let Mr. Lusk throw him and the rest of Council under the bus, with Lusk’s assertion that all of Council was complicit in the redistricting. Lockwood very clearly and convincingly rejects all comparisons between the redistricting scandal and yesterday’s perfunctory extension of the qualifying period, required under state law.
This video clipshows Lusk trying to exclude Council Member Mohrig from voting. Once Lusk realizes that Mohrig will likely vote for an extension, he tries to exclude Mohrig from the vote. Mohrig has none of it and clearly demonstrates (not included in the video clip) that he understands what is occurring even though he was calling into the meeting on his phone. Longoria’s expression at the tail end of the video is priceless, as he realizes how Lusk is attempting to manipulate the vote.
Matt Kunz is not done ranting and raving. Here is the coda to his earlier performance. Kunz’s stance that he is standing on principle is a frequent Kunz refrain. It is ironic in that he is perhaps the most unprincipled member of Council.
It is interesting that. after two bizarre rants, when asked the question about what the City should do, Kunz has no real solution.
Finally a vote! Note that Bill Lusk does not have the courage to vote his convictions on this matter. He ultimately chooses not to cast the deciding vote against the extension. He barely raises his hand to signal his approval of the extension.
Longoria delivered a long and heartfelt apology.
Yesterday was an embarrassing moment in our City’s history. Two Council Members viciously attacked a fellow Council Member, who was not able to even defend himself because of his recusal. (Of course, I was in the same position in the audience . . . attacked with no opportunity to defend myself.) Over the last 22 months, I have come to know Joe Longoria. While I do not always agree with him on the issues, I respect his intellect, his willingness to honestly debate issues, his probing questions, and his defense of citizens’ rights to speak. Joe Longoria is a decent man and did not deserve this savagery from Kunz and Lusk.
Perhaps the greatest of college football coaches, Lou Holtz, once stated “If you burn your neighbor’s house down, it doesn’t make your house look any better.” Mr. Kunz and Mr. Lusk would be wise to follow this advice in the future.
Milton Coalition 