‘We’re trying to do the best we can,’ says Lacey mayor about threats to elected officials
Mayor Andy Ryder took a moment at Thursday’s Lacey City Council meeting to tell his constituents, “We’re trying to do the best we can. I just want the public to know that.”
What spurred the comment?
At a recent National League of Cities conference that Ryder and Deputy Mayor Cynthia Pratt attended, they heard the results of a survey that posed this question: Have you as an elected official received threats to you or your family?
More than 80 percent of the elected officials said they had, Ryder said.
Ryder and Pratt also heard first hand from elected officials who said their homes had been shot at, or they had to escort their children home from school, or they had to stay in a hotel because it was unsafe at home.
The experience hit him hard, Ryder said, leading him to defend the council on Thursday and make a plea for understanding.
“Everyone here has received a threat,” he said in reference to the council, “and we’re doing our best to represent the residents and businesses of the city.”
Ryder didn’t describe any specific threats made to council members, although a few appeared to nod in agreement. However, he did say he had read a comment on The Olympian that made mention of killing elected officials in Thurston County.
That comment could not be found Thursday after the meeting or Friday, and it wasn’t immediately clear if the comment appeared on the newspaper website or its Facebook page. Most comments are generated via the Facebook page and those comments are moderated.
“It’s been a tough year,” said Ryder, adding that COVID-19, social media and what he called “hyper-partisanship” have contributed to those difficulties.
For some elected officials, it’s too much, he said.
“People are saying, ‘I’m done,’” Ryder said. “They’re trying to give back to their community but all they receive are threats over and over again.
“We’re better than this as a community and as a society,” he said. “Most elected officials are sincere, and are doing their best, and they’re not doing this out of some malicious intent.”
Other than a clarifying question raised by Councilman Ed Kunkel, the council remained silent during Ryder’s remarks.
City Manager Scott Spence finally was the last to speak.
“Sobering, mayor,” he said.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 5:15 AM.
