Vancouver council drama continues

The actions of the Vancouver City Council in southwest Washington have no impact on our lives in the Puget Sound area, yet there’s a behind the scenes drama there that has me checking the council agenda and wondering what will happen tonight.

I told you last week about this viral video of councilmember Jeanne Harris losing it at September 13th council meeting, and telling another council member to “shut up.”

She was upset about a number of things, including the way a citizen was addressing her, when she turned to Mayor Timothy Leavitt and told him to how to respond to the resident: “Gavel him down. Gavel him down. Gavel down.” That video has gotten more than 42,000 views.

Here’s what has happened since then. Harris, who has been out of the country and hasn’t responded to my requests for an interview, issued a public apology to her fellow council members after losing her cool.

Here was her first statement to the council:

I have not been asked to do this; I know that I was not being my usual self and recognize that I have disappointed not only myself but many others as well. I appreciate the support and confidence that you have shown me in the past and will work hard to rebuild your trust in me in the future.

What confuses a few of the council members I’ve talked to is a follow up email from Harris. The Vancouver Columbian newspaper reports Harris sent this email after members launched an ethics investigation into her behavior:

Looks like I’ve lost two policies and we’ve received numerous rude phone calls that my 19 year old customer service rep has had to listen to. Apparently the gavel incident is now on utube [sic]. Thanks for making my life hell.

Harris runs an Allstate insurance branch in Battle Ground, WA, and told her fellow council members she’s lost business because of the incident.

The council is considering clarifying its guidelines for citizen’s comments.

Part of my fascination with this drama is knowing that we all “lose it” at times.

Most of us are fortunate because we’re not public figures or elected leaders who need to be professional and responsible to those we serve. And most of what we do doesn’t have a permanent video record. But admit it, haven’t you felt like Ms. Harris at one point? Isn’t there someone at work you’d love to “gavel down?”