Former Lacey mayors angry about councilman’s social media posts, urge council action
Several former Lacey mayors, alarmed by a Lacey City Councilman’s social media posts, have sent a letter to the city urging the council to take action against first-term councilman Ed Kunkel Jr.
The letter was signed by former mayors Mark Brown, Jon Halvorson, Graeme Sackrison and Nancy Clauson.
Brown said Thursday morning that former State Sen. Karen Fraser, also a former Lacey mayor, had sent her own letter as well, although The Olympian had yet to see it. The other letter was shared with the newspaper.
Kunkel could not immediately be reached Thursday.
In the letter, the mayors write:
“In one (Facebook) post, Councilman Kunkel refers to armed militia patrolling the streets of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho as “How it should be.” In response to another post showing a mother confronting her son, who was among a group of protesters, he commented, “What all of these degenerates causing problems right now need.”
“We are offended by these comments,” the mayors write. “We believe these comments do not reflect the values of our community. Armed white para-military militia patrolling our streets is not “How it should be” and referring to a group of black protesters as ‘degenerates’ is completely unacceptable.”
Brown said he was contacted by two Lacey residents Monday morning about the Facebook posts. The posts were then sent to him, then he checked Kunkel’s Facebook page himself and saw them.
The Olympian could not locate the posts on Thursday.
“The letter speaks for itself,” Brown said, adding that he was particularly incensed by the word “degenerates.”
“That crosses a line,” he said. “If I see that, I’m going to call you on it. It’s totally inappropriate for a Lacey official to say and it’s contrary to what we stand for. We are a welcoming community that values free speech and protest. I’m not going to standby without raising my voice in outrage.”
Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder said he had seen the letter and was aware of the social media posts.
“I was concerned,” he said in reaction to the posts. “I didn’t know where he was coming from.”
“This is a time in our country and community where we have reached a point that we have to do better,” said Ryder in reference to the recent death of George Floyd and other inequities in society.
Floyd died May 25 in Minneapolis while in police custody, and the officer who had pinned him to the ground with his knee is now facing murder charges. Floyd’s death has sparked civil unrest and calls for change throughout the country.
As for what action the council might take, Ryder said the council first needs to hear from the councilman.
“Ed needs to speak for Ed,” he said. “We need to hear from Ed tonight and we will go from there.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the council has been meeting remotely. The meeting can be watched on the city’s Facebook page at 4 p.m. Thursday.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 1:49 PM.
