LYNN HAVEN — Harsh feelings involving an altercation between Lynn Haven’s mayor and an active community member during a commission meeting have seemingly been resolved with a thoughtful and somewhat unusual gesture.
At the June 9 Lynn Haven City Commission meeting, Mayor Dave Lowery suggested replacing the word “progressively” in the city’s mission statement with “diligently.” He believed the term had too heavy a political connotation.
This move wasn’t particularly controversial among the commission, as other commissioners also agreed it was time for an update. The only real discussion that occurred before public comments was the cost of changing the wording on the signage within the city hall.
Ryan Scray, a city resident and active participant at these meetings, took the lectern and told a story with the intention of demonstrating that doing something “diligently” doesn’t necessarily mean it will be done better. Scray didn’t appear to necessarily take issue with the change, but thought there were more pressing matters to deal with.
“I get that little things add up to big things, but is this really the priority, mayor?” Scray asked during the public comment.
Scray later clarified to the News Herald that this was rhetorical, as he had tried to keep talking, but the mayor interrupted. Lowery later said he was trying to answer the question.
What followed was somewhat of a yelling match between the two while Scray reiterated that he wanted his time back.
The reason this was such a big deal to Scray and others who are active in these meetings is that each person who speaks is supposed to get three minutes of public comment. Former Mayor Jesse Nelson, whom Lowery replaced after the recall effort, had been accused of being heavy-handed during public comment in the past.
Those who have been to Lynn Haven City Commission meetings may have found that it doesn’t take much for nerves to be struck, but the real controversy occurred when Lowery asked the city’s deputy police chief to escort Scray out of the building.
One member of the public later came to the lectern and told the mayor he needed to apologize to Scray. The commission subsequently did not pass the word change.
What followed was coverage of the altercation by area broadcasters and a buzz on local Facebook. Scray is something of a personality in Lynn Haven, and it didn’t take long for the news to circulate.
Lowery apologized to Scray both privately and in a public Facebook post, saying that tempers flared and he takes full responsibility.
“In the heat of that moment, I incorrectly misinterpreted the speaker’s intent and overreacted as if this speaker was jockeying for control of the floor,” Lowery wrote. “In reality, he was simply trying to get his full second round of three minutes in.”
Lowery took the apology to the next level during the June 23 commission meeting, where he said he’s been working with Scray and others in the community to develop clearer meeting rules
He then invited Scray to the front of the room, where he had some gifts prepared. One of the gifts was a wooden “three” that would serve as a one-time, three-minute public comment extension that Scray can use whenever he deems fit.
Lowery said this was to make up for the three minutes that Scray didn’t get at the June 9 meeting.
The next gift was a Lynn Haven sports jersey, identical to the ones both Lowery and Commissioner Judy Tinder showed up to the meeting wearing.
“In that moment, you and I, neither one thought we were on the same team,” Lowery said. “This is a symbolic reminder that we actually are on the same team.”
He also spoke to their military service, with Lowery having been a commissioned officer and Scray having been enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, alluding to the fact that they once shared a uniform and now will share a jersey.
The crowd cheered, and the commission clapped once Scray was holding the jersey.
“I just want to say that I feel like it takes a lot of humility for somebody not to just say sorry, but say exactly what they did wrong,” Scray said. “That’s what Dave did, and that’s why I accepted that apology. So I appreciate that.”
Lowery went back to his dais, Scray returned to the crowd, and the meeting continued as normal.
Scray later sent a News Herald reporter a photo of him smiling while holding his jersey and number three while posing in front of a wall adorned with the city’s motto.
“Progressively enriching our community’s quality of life by providing consistent and transparent customer service to our residents,” reads the wall.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Jerseys, gestures heal fallout between Lynn Haven mayor and resident
Reporting by Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald | USA TODAY Network
