Mountlake Terrace council members spent more than 30 minutes discussing whether the public should be allowed to wear hats when addressing them during a meeting.
The discussion started after Councilman John Zambrano interrupted a speaker who was addressing the off-leash dog park issue and told him to take off his baseball cap. The speaker was Mike Angrick, husband of councilwoman Michelle Angrick and chair of the Off Leash Dog Park Task Force.
Here’s an edited version of the discussion that followed:
Michelle Angrick: Asks if there’s a city policy regarding the wearing of hats during a meeting. She says if so, she’d like the policy written on the back of council agendas. She said it is intimidating to be interrupted mid-sentence and asked to remove a hat.
Mayor Jerry Smith: “We’re expected to wear suits and ties and be respectful. It’s just kind of a courtesy.”
Doug Wittinger: “My feeling is if they have clothes on and they want to talk to us, let them talk to us.”
Michelle Angrick: “I don’t have a problem with people wearing hats.”
Angela Amundson: “I have no objection to people wearing hats.”
John Zambrano: “First of all, I don’t know how I could have more delicately pointed the infraction out. Unlike a lot of people, I try to apply our policy evenly…Unfortunately, I come from that generation that when you enter a building, you take your hat off. These are basic manners. It’s respectful to us as a legislative body. Besides, I don’t remember anyone approaching the daias … in any legislative body and wearing a hat.”
Michelle Robles: “I simply see it as a matter of decorum. I think it’s simply to encourage respect. It doesn’t need to be a policy.”
Russ Jensen, Mountlake Terrace resident: “Maybe I was raised in the old school. To me, it is common courtesy… that you show respect and part of that respect is you remove your hat.”
Michelle Angrick: … “I find it offensive.”
Angela Amundson: “The truth of the matter is, it would also be a sign of disrespect to have a woman remove her hat.” (She next accuses Zambrano of singling out Angrick and council candidate Leonard French for criticism about their wearing hats).
Zambrano: (Replies that those were the only people in his 5 1/2 years on the council who wore hats as they addressed the council.) “You keep inferring that I was disrespecting the speaker … but it got to a point where obviously, he wasn’t cognizant of it and so the policy… .
Amundson, interrupting: “There is no policy.”
Smith: “You two knock it off.”
Zambrano: “I’m going to knock it off, all right.”
Amundson: “Is that a threat?…I guess Mr. Zambrano wants to hit me.”
Wittinger: “I move that we allow speakers to wear their hats when they speak to the council.” (Council votes 4-3 to allow hats.)
Amundson: (Asks whether police personnel will be available after executive session.) “Because I have filed assault charges against Mr. Zambrano on two separate occasions and tonight he did threaten me.”
(Audience, council laughter)
Amundson: “You can laugh all you want to but I did file charges for assault twice.”
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