Commissioner flips off the mayor in Surfside spat. Everyone, just grow up! | Editorial
Children, please!
A Surfside commissioner got frustrated with the town mayor during a virtual meeting last week when she said he muted her and attacked her record during a discussion about utility poles. So she flipped him the bird.
And it was the second time Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer had flipped off Mayor Charles Burkett. In June, he muted her during a debate about an anti-discrimination resolution. That one apparently required the middle fingers of both hands.
She’s unrepentant. “The man deserves the finger 100 percent,” Salzhauer told the Miami Herald. “He deserves more than that.”
Nope. The mayor, the commission and, most important, city residents deserve respectful, if not civil, elected officials.
Still, the mayor hasn’t helped much, either. With in-person meetings set to begin Tuesday, Burkett has already threatened to suspend any future meetings if he cannot “gavel the meeting back under control” because of Salzhauer’s “typical outbursts or tirades.”
These are elected officials. Grown adults. Acting like children who need a time out.
They’ve continued their spat in citywide emails, too, with Burkett vowing to protect the dignity of the Surfside Commission, saying commissioners and residents “should never be subjected to this type of irrational and irresponsible behavior by one of their leaders.”
Salzhauer shot back by saying the mayor is “terrified” about the return to in-person meetings. because he won’t be able to mute people.
She went on: “He fancies himself as a school headmaster with a Time-Out Sceptor, but in reality, he is a petulant toddler who needs to learn to listen, share, and play nice with his PEERS.”
Before she continues to point a finger — or further offend with her digits — Salzhauer should look in the mirror.
We get it. It’s been a hard year. But if there were ever a time to cling to civilized behavior, a pandemic should be it. When you are an elected official, the standard should be even higher. You’re supposed to lead.
Also, the commission is trying to discuss burying utility poles underground, with millions of dollars in taxpayer money at stake. The tantrums and theatrics do nothing but derail the issues.
Commissioner, Mayor, you were elected to represent people, not act out in anger. This is behavior that amounts to sticking your fingers in your ears and singing la-la-la to block someone out or stamping your feet when you don’t get your way. That’s no way to act once you become an adult. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for your constituents: Grow up.
This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 1:45 PM.