The mayor of Worcester is apologizing after he criticized protesters at the start of a City Council meeting.
T&G: Mayor Petty apologizes for calling protesters ‘morons’ on open mic
Mayor Joseph Petty actually supported the protesters’ message, during a gathering outside City Hall before Tuesday’s meeting. They opposed loosening Worcester’s standing as a so-called “sanctuary city” on immigration enforcement — and so does he.
(There’s actually a good deal of debate about whether Worcester is a “sanctuary city” — it’s a label with varying definitions.)
But when the protest and chants carried indoors and delayed the start of the council meeting, Petty can be heard, clearly annoyed, in a video posted to Worcester’s website:
Freakin’ morons,” Petty said. “Morons, morons, morons.”
Petty’s chief of staff confirms those were the mayor’s words, and Petty is apologizing for them.
He said he was “caught in a moment of frustration” and was worried the voices from the earlier rally would be overshadowed by the disruption in the council chambers.