Heated exchange at city meeting

I found this article in Austin American Statesman about a heated argument. Check it out...

During a city advisory board meeting Tuesday night, Alayne Johnson questioned Austin's standard of requiring contractors to make a "good faith effort" to hire minority-owned subcontracting firms.

That discussion spilled over into the lobby of City Hall after the meeting adjourned, during which Johnson told a city official that she was "going to get" her, according to a city incident report.

"We need to get away from this 'good faith' bull crap," Johnson told Assistant City Attorney Sabine Romero during a meeting of Minority Business Enterprises/Women Business Enterprises and Small Business Council Advisory Committee.

"Our tax dollars are going right out the door with these prime contractors, and we are not working.

"I have a problem with that," said Johnson, a representative of the Austin Black Contractors Association . " I have a right to speak. It's freedom of speech, and I am speaking."

The exchange was recorded on a video camera that documents public meetings at City Hall.

During the meeting, Romero told Johnson that she needed to be respectful with her comments.

"I'm very respectful," Johnson replied. "You cannot judge me. If you want to have a fight, a battle here, we can."

Moments later, according to an incident report written by a City Hall security guard, Romero ran to the guard and told the guard that Johnson had chased her and told her "I'm going to get to you," according to a city employee who read the report.

"I yelled that I was calling APD," the guard wrote in the report.

The incident took place outside a boards and commission meeting room at City Hall, where dozens of people were also attending a Zoning and Platting Commission meeting.

Austin police were notified about the incident Wednesday.

City officials would not release the guards report because they said it was part of an ongoing investigation.

Johnson declined to comment on the incident, other than to say, "Make sure whatever you are writing is correct, or I will come after you."

Romero did not return calls seeking comment.


This is crazy talk. Someone is getting a little too defensive to call out a fight, especially to an official. Maybe the, "I will come after you" might have been made up by the guard. Who really knows. It is clear that Johnson did offer a fight. If two public representatives cannot even have a simple argument without getting heated then I'm not too sure I want them to be public representatives.In political world, it's all crazy talk.