In the Call to the Public segment of the Aug. 22 Town Council meeting, Pam Cap stated, “…this fixation with the trans and LGBTQ community is getting old…Every time Councilmembers Skillicorn, Toth and Friedel post anti-trans and LGBT rhetoric…” Councilmember Toth responded to Ms. Cap’s comments, which a councilmember is allowed to do in that circumstance.

Ms. Toth’s reply included, “I’m not personally aware of any time that Councilmember Friedel has commented on that issue whatsoever. So, I’d like for it to be very clear that the inclusion of his name was very clearly politically motivated.” Unless Toth has heard/read and remembered everything Friedel has ever said/posted, she cannot say with certainty he has not commented on that issue. Which begs the question, why did Toth mention Friedel in her response?

Friedel chose not to respond to Ms. Cap’s comments (and Skillicorn made the same choice). Did Toth mention Friedel because he has announced himself as a mayoral candidate? If so, then Toth herself is guilty of politically-motivated speech, the very thing Toth accused Ms. Cap of. Toth did not mention Skillicorn in her response. Why not? Is it because Skillicorn has not announced (yet) he is running for another office or was Toth personally aware that Skillicorn has posted anti-trans and LGBT rhetoric?

If Mayor Dickey, Councilmember Grzybowski or Vice Mayor McMahon had been mentioned in Ms. Cap’s comments, would Toth have defended them in her response? It appears to me that Toth’s mention of Friedel was politically motivated. Toth stated she was disappointed by Ms. Cap’s comments. I’m even more disappointed that Toth called out Ms. Cap for the same thing Toth did. That’s called being hypocritical. Shame on Councilmember Toth for having a double standard.