By Ruth Ferguson, NDG Editor
Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker issued a statement indicating he was “extremely disappointed and embarrassed” by out-going Councilman Scott Dunn’s tweet referring to a U.S. representative as a bimbo. The mayor acknowledged Dunn and citizen has the right to share their opinion, however, doing so in a civil and respectful tone is necessary to lead to productive results.
“Even when we disagree about important political and social issues, we shouldn’t resort to name-calling,” Voelker stated.
Dunn’s deleted tweet read, “The embarrassment is to have bimbos like you with nothing between your ear.
Mayor Voelker made it clear such comments, even when sent via a personal account, not a Richardson communication channel, is not reflective of the City’s values.
“I condemn the description of any woman in this manner as clearly inconsistent with Richardson’s values, as further articulated by the City Council’s Rules of Engagement as outlined in our 2017-2019 Statement of Goals,” Voelker stated.
Dunn, who announced last month he is not seeking re-election this spring, has deleted his personal Twitter account. However, former councilmember Amir Omar captured and shared via Facebook a screenshot of the tweet which was in response to a tweet from U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez representing New York. NDG does not have info on the original tweet to which Dun was directing his reply. The congresswoman is a frequent target of criticism and attacks from both sides of the aisle.
“I really don’t care what political team you root for and whether you like one representative or another. I don’t even care that although you are representing a city in a non-partisan role, you can’t hold your tongue out of basic decorum. What I do care about is that you are so tone deaf that you don’t realize that using sexist terms like this one reflects badly on our City. #richardsonroyalty,” Omar shared via Facebook.
This incident comes on the heels of Voelker response to NDG’s inquiry regarding the absence of any events hosted by the city in celebration of Martin Luther King Day. He pointed to the fact the library will include Dr. King and the accomplishments of others during Black History Month
“Richardson has a strong focus on inclusion, diversity and multi-culturalism,” according to Voelker.
