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Residents raise decorum, audio and neighborhood safety complaints during public comment
Summary
Multiple residents used the March 3 open forum to allege councilor profanity on an earlier recording, to report threats and neighborhood safety issues and to request traffic review at Shorewood and Highway 1171; the mayor and council responded and staff advised legal follow-up.
Several residents used the March 3 public comment period to press the council on meeting decorum, audio-recording questions and local safety concerns.
A longtime resident (identified in the meeting as Ms. Benedix) accused a council member of mouthing a derogatory slur and of using profanity toward her during the Feb. 18 meeting. The resident said she has video and explicitly told the council she would pursue the matter. “I have the video, and I can prove it,” she said, adding that she had been called a “c u n t” (spelled at the microphone) and that the experience left her “shaking.”
Councillor Kaler responded that he did not recall saying the word and offered an apology for any unprofessional remarks. “I apologize; I should never have done that,” Kaler said. The mayor and other councilors also urged decorum. City staff advised that allegations involving council conduct be routed to the city attorney for review; the mayor suggested residents reach out to the city attorney because resolution of the matter was beyond the scope of the evening’s session.
Separately, several residents raised operational and safety concerns: Austin Schaff, Tom Shoff and Elden Boy said the intersection at Shorewood and Highway 1171 is dangerous and asked the council to send the item to the Public Works Committee for engineering review; the mayor said the request would be entered into the record and forwarded to the Public Works Committee.
Other commenters described concerns with kids throwing debris at a demolished playground area, perceived lack of police follow-up, and requests for improved communications from staff. Ed Bates and a camera operator questioned whether the council’s recording system captured whispers and whether an external microphone disables the camera’s onboard microphone; the technician explained the system records to a single track and that whispering in the room can be picked up by the mics.
Councilors repeatedly reminded speakers of the five‑minute public‑comment time limit and urged residents to pursue formal complaints through the city attorney or appropriate law‑enforcement channels for issues beyond open‑forum testimony.
