Lacey Mayor needed to have a moment this week. Here’s what he said about the state of politics
Longtime Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder has at times over the years taken a moment at council meetings to speak his mind in response to an event.
He again had one of those moments at Tuesday’s council meeting.
“I think it’s prudent for me at this point to talk about what this nation has experienced over this past weekend,” he said in reference to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
“For as long as I’ve been mayor, and as long as I’ve been on this council, I’ve been preaching compassion,” he said. “I’ve been preaching compromise and how important it is for us to listen to each other and try to do what’s best for our community. And I’m so proud of this council and the way that we have worked together, the way that we conduct ourselves.”
But unfortunately, Ryder said, the rhetoric in national politics, and sometimes in state and local politics as well, has reached a point of violence, and “violence is never acceptable in our democracy.”
“And I make this habit of closing every meeting saying, ‘Keep it classy, Lacey,’ and I do that on purpose, and I just want the public to understand that. So many of us all want the same things in life. We want a safe community, you know, we want a community that’s better for our children. We’re so much more similar than we are different,” Ryder said, adding that certain voices on social media and on cable TV “do everything they can to divide us, and the result of that rhetoric can lead to disastrous results, and that is not acceptable.”
“So I just feel like it’s important for our community,” he said. “Know that if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it. It’s as simple as that, and treat each other with care and compassion and love, and that’s how we’re gonna get through this dark time we have in our country.”
Council members typically don’t respond to Ryder’s off-the-cuff moments, but this time council member Nic Dunning also had something to say.
Dunning started by thanking the mayor for his comments.
“I really just want to say that I think our city and our council is a shining example of how people with different backgrounds, different experiences and different opinions can come together for the greater good, and I really hope that as we move, you know, forward over the next 5-10 years, and as new people come onto our council, we maintain that level of respect for each other and respect for our differences, because that’s who our community is, and that’s who we are fighting for,” Dunning said.
This story was originally published July 18, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
