A New Zealand mayor has seen a surge in support following his brutal treatment of a constituent who was a persistent conspiracy theorist who had been threatening council staff for years.
In an email exchange last year, Len Salt, the mayor of New Zealand's North Island's Thames-Coromandel region, ended his message with a frank suggestion for the man.
The correspondence originated with conspiracy theorists who described Salt and the council as “fictional entities” with “intentions to coerce, deceive, and enslave” individuals and others, and to engage in “grossly illegal activities.” accused of being involved in.
Salt told local media that he believed the request for personal information about staff was a worrying escalation of an ongoing threat.
Salt described the person as a member of the Sovereign People's Movement, which rejects government laws and regulations, and expressed concern about the growing hostility of city council members and staff.
“This is happening on multiple levels: social media, email, face-to-face contact beyond customer service counters, city council and regional board meetings, information sessions hosted by council staff, on the street and in supermarkets, etc. “It's contact,” he said.
Following the release of a series of emails originally revealed on social media by Mr Salt's political opponents, the mayor claimed the majority of responses supported his candor.
He claims he has support from other mayors, elected officials, residents and ratepayers across the country.
“We have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from many past and present mayors and councilors, as well as residents and ratepayers across the country,” he said. he told AAP.
“The real issue is not that one mayor dropped the F-bomb, but the extent to which city council employees and elected officials are exposed to attacks on a daily basis.
“So let's move on to how we can counter such behavior and build stronger, kinder, more tolerant, and more supportive communities.
“If we can all make that happen, I promise to stop swearing.”
He added that local governments in New Zealand have recently been forced to take a range of safety measures, including calling the police and providing panic alerts to councilors.
“I was shocked to see bulletproof glass being installed in places like the local (conservation) office,” Salt said.
