Councillor Evan Woolley has apologized to colleague Sean Chu for calling him “a moron” – but it took a rebuke from the city’s integrity commissioner for him to do it..It ended a war of words between the two that has been going on since last November..In defense of his comments, Woolley even sent Integrity Commissioner Meryl Whittaker the Merriam- Webster Dictionary definition of “moron.”.The spat blew up last November 5, at 1:41 a.m. when Woolley tweeted: “Chu is one of the most ignorant morons on Council. Every developer that donates to him is a target that I will push.”.The next afternoon Chu replied with a tweet of his own: “I believe Calgarians deserve better from their elected officials. If Cllr. Woolley chooses to apologize, I will consider the matter closed.”.But there was no apology forthcoming and Chu sent a letter to the ethics commissioner.. Woolley apologizes for calling Chu ‘a moron’ – finallySean Chu Courtesy CBC .“In regards to the Tweet sent out by my colleague last night, I will be sending the following comment to the Ethics Commissioner, as this is against the Respectful Workplace policy that governs all Councillors and their staff,” he wrote..“If Cllr Woolley has an issue with my stance on the question of defunding the police, then he could have reached out to me to have a discussion. We can disagree on an issue but mean spirited comments do nothing to build bridges or increase the level of discourse needed in such emotionally charged debates. I believe Calgarians deserve better from their elected officials.”.The war of words continued and Woolley issued his own letter..“I have been a City Councillor for 2 terms and I am angry about some of the behaviour I’ve witnessed over that time. I think it is time to call it out. During a discussion about supervised consumption sites in Calgary, Councillor Chu said that addiction is a “choice”..“This is deeply insulting to the thousands of Calgarians who have lost a loved one during the opioid crisis. My brother died of an overdose and I wish I had called the Councillor more forcefully at that time..“Councillor Chu also called Ireland’s decision to allow same-sex marriage a “social.revolution” and compared it to cycle tracks. The lack of respect to members of Calgary’s LGBTQ community was both appalling and unforgivable.”.Whittaker said her office received four complaints about Woolley’s initial tweet..“I do not believe this tweet goes against the respectful workplace policy as I believe my comments to be true and a part of defending the constituents that I represent. On many occasions over the years I believe Councillor Chu has made many comments of an ignorant and moronic nature which are clearly defined in the Merriam- Webster Dictionary,” Woolley wrote to Whittaker..“I have worked hard to do the best for my city and for my constituents. I have not always succeeded. But I can’t sit idly by and ignore the actions and words that both hurt and insult large numbers of Calgarians. In a world that’s more divided than ever, I truly believe we must call out distortion, stupidity, misinformation, ignorance, and hate.”.In response to his other comment on developers, Woolley replied: “People who donate to councillors voicing (sic) their support for the positions and actions of that member of council. My statement is one that is common during elections and that is no different than my previous response to you.”.In her ruling, Whittaker included the definition of “Moron” as defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as:.• a foolish or stupid person; dated, now offensive, see usage paragraph below: a person affected with mild intellectual disability..• Usage of Moron: The terms idiot, imbecile, moron, and their derivatives were formerly used as technical descriptors in medical, educational, and regulatory contexts. These uses were broadly rejected by the close of the 20th century and are now considered offensive..“Councillor Woolley certainly has the right to disagree with Councillor Chu’s views on any issue.and he has the right to express those views. But his right of expression is limited by the Code..Under s. 19, his expression must be respectful. Name calling is not respectful,” she wrote..“Further, he relies on the definition of moron to justify his statement, but the dictionary definition itself states that it is no longer a technical descriptor and it is offensive..“By resorting to name-calling, Councillor Woolley has lowered the level of discourse to an inappropriate and disrespectful level.”.Whittaker also slams Woolley for the “developers” part of his tweet..“It is reasonable to interpret the second sentence of the tweet as an intention to target private citizens with a similar level of disrespect. While there is no evidence that he has actually disrespected them, the tweet displays an intention that has the potential to undermine public confidence in City governance,” she wrote..“Councillor Woolley has singled out an identifiable group of citizens on the basis of their support of another Councillor, using aggressive language..“I recommend that Councillor Woolley be requested to issue a letter of apology to Councillor Chu and to the public and that the letter be published.”.Read the Integrity Commissioner’s full report:.Download.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
