BEAUMONT, Texas — On Tuesday. Beaumont city leaders sent a strong statement, censuring councilman Mike Getz for explicit language he used on February 20.
In front of a packed city hall, this list of comments were shown to the public.
“You can suck my [expletive word].”
“[Expletive word] you."
"You think you are bulletproof, just like Carroll Thomas. Look what happened to him."
“You need to retire.”
“I tried to eliminate your office once before, and maybe we need to consider privatizing again.”
City manager Kyle Hayes shared these comments with the city and described what happened.
He says while in his office on February 20, councilman Getz made the following statements toward Beaumont city attorney Tyrone Cooper, adding the door was still open and female staff approximately 30 feet away could hear what he said.
Cooper, who was appointed in 2014, became the first African-American to hold the position in the city of Beaumont.
He tells 12News he's been working in a hostile work environment for some time and wanted others to know about this situation.
"I don't want to believe it's going to continue. In part of exposing what had happened, we hope to let the daylight and sunlight cleanse it," Cooper said. "Open it up to the public, let the public see it for what it is and hopefully that will cleanse it."
Cooper stated during Tuesday's meeting that the incident on February 20 is not an isolated one, when referring to past conversations with Getz.
Cooper provided a statement at the March 3 meeting saying, “I take the position, if you haven’t already noticed, as my formal complaint of having worked in a discriminatory, hostile working environment - hostile and abusive. I don’t take this lightly. I take pride in what I do. And I think every one up here knows it with the exception of one.”
Before city council voted to censure Getz, he chose to hold the executive session in front of the public instead of behind closed doors.
“I fell short of the goals that I have set for myself, and I will strive to do better. I’m ready to put this behind us,” Getz said at Tuesday's meeting.
Everyone in attendance got to see what comments he made toward Cooper as well as witness the discussion between city leaders.
During an interview, Getz described his side of the story, stating he went to Hayes' office after realizing Cooper failed to communicate to city council about a case going to mediation.
"At that time, the city attorney who I wasn’t speaking to, came out with a comment that I considered a challenge to my professional ethics," Getz said.
He says the discussion revolved around his suggestion for the case to be discussed in executive session.
Getz tells 12News Cooper initiated the heated exchange.
"I responded with an inappropriate epithet and he did the same. It went downhill from there,” Getz said.
During executive session Tuesday, Hayes told the public that nothing prompted Getz to respond in the way he did.
Getz abstained himself prior to the vote of him being censured, which passed 6-0.
Mayor Becky Ames explains that the censuring doesn't affect Getz' position with city council, but publicly reprimands him for his actions.
The Beaumont City Council meeting agenda states Getz’s “statements and actions demonstrated a lack of judgment and professionalism.” The release also states it’s ‘necessary to reinforce that the type of behavior demonstrated is not acceptable for an elected official and should not be tolerated."
She took it a step further inside city hall Tuesday, responding to critics who feel Mayor Ames has a personal vendetta against Getz.
"You can say what you want, but if you were sitting in my chair you would've had to have done the exact same thing if employees brought this to you," Ames said.
Following the vote, the public was given an opportunity to provide their thoughts on the comments Getz made toward Cooper.
Nobody in the room condoned Getz' actions, but some came forward to show their support for the councilman with quotes like:
"I was requesting mercy for councilman Getz"
"There is no other council member that I know of that supports Beaumont like Mike does"
"I want to make sure that both sides of the story are told"
Others in the audience made it clear they did not approve of the foul language.
"Do you really think that you are invincible?"
"Council member Mike Getz, you did it, move on"
You have gravely done a disservice to us"
Cooper says he doesn't plan on pursuing any legal action toward the city of Beaumont, but tells 12News he's still waiting for an apology.
“He’s never apologized to, I think I deserve an apology," Cooper said. "He never apologized to the city manager, he was subjected the the same thing I was. He’s never apologized to either one of us.”
As for Getz, he remains in his seat overseeing Ward 2 and says he's looking to move forward.
"I'm going to continue to do exactly what I've been doing, which is represent the citizens who put me in office," Getz said.
Councilman Audwin Samuel was adamant after the vote that Tuesday's vote and discussion shouldn't tear the community apart.
This isn't about picking sides, this is about the city of Beaumont and what we're going to do to try and bring our city together," Samuel said during executive session.
A few community members agreed when they approached city leaders:
"Please come together and find a solution"
"In order for us to build Beaumont and make Beaumont a better place, we're going to have to start loving one another"
Councilman Taylor Neild also shared strong feelings during Tuesday's meeting, sending a message to the public (video below)