What’s Love Got To Do With It – The City Hall ‘Emailgate’ Edition [OPINION]

For a while now, we've been getting dribs and drabs of 'mean girl' type emails written by various local city government officials, primarily City Manager Joyce Wilson.  The press has been panting over what a meanie Ms. Wilson is, but I think it's time for everyone to grow up and get over themselves.

A little background - the group who opposes the demolition of City Hall filed an open records request for emails of City officials to find out if there were any nefarious goings on in relation to the Downtown Triple A ballpark.  So far, the emails have been nefarious-goings-on-free, but that hasn't stopped the group from waving emails around from Joyce Wilson that contain insults about certain members of City Council.  It's pretty embarrassing for Wilson - not because of what was said, but because the insults are the kind of silly, schoolyard pettiness you would expect from 8th graders!

On Tuesday, City Hall Emailgate was on the agenda, courtesy of City Rep. Carl Robinson, and things got really unpleasant, as you can see from this video.  While I agree that Ms. Wilson was not playing nice in her emails, I also think enough is enough.

So What's Love Got To Do With City Hall Emailgate?

God said we have to love each other, but I don't think even He expected us to like each other all the time.  I don't know how things work at your office, but sometimes things get a little heated around here.  Co-workers have to deal with egos, money, seniority, stealing from the office fridge, and, my GAWD, why can't people spray a little air freshener if they're going to stink up the bathroom?!  Why do we think that it's all unicorns and rainbows at City Hall?

The plain fact of the matter is, Joyce Wilson was dumb.  She got frustrated with the pressure cooker that City Hall turned into over the Triple A ballpark.  She was venting, and instead of venting verbally inside her office or her car or to her BFF over a mango margarita, she did it in an email.  An official, from-the-computer-of-El-Paso-City-Manager-Joyce-Wilson, email.  The kind of email that is subject to open records requests.

It was dumb, and it was inappropriate, but it was also something we have all done.  Can your emails hold up to public scrutiny?  Mine can't!  Yes, she's a government official.  Yes, she deserves to be called out publically about her lack of workplace protocol.  But, no, she doesn't deserve to be fired or bullied into resigning.

City Reps. Carl Robinson and Eddie Holguin need to get a thicker skin or get out of elected office, and for that matter, the workplace altogether.  Sometimes, at work, people say things that are uncalled for.  Most of the time, they are handled behind closed doors with a HR handing you a piece of paper to sign saying you understand that you stepped out of line.  Robinson and Holguin should have done that, especially after Wilson publically apologized, and her apology was accepted by Lily.

Enough is enough, gentlemen.  We're all adults here - time for you to start acting like one.  And for heaven's sake, Ms. Wilson, please stop venting via email!  It's not very becoming.