Bob CollinsA day after yet another tiff at a city council meeting where an ongoing political dispute between the city’s first female mayor and at least one member of the council has included allegations of misogyny, police say someone has sprinkled screws around the mayor’s driveway to flatten her tires.
Mayor Jenny Halverson is one of six residents reporting the apparent assaults, a police official tells the Pioneer Press.
“We don’t believe this happened in one night,” Lt. Brian Sturgeon said. “It was spread out.”
All of the driveways belonged to women who spoke at a May 14 council meeting against alleged sexism the mayor has faced from four members of the body.
In April, someone delivered tampons and tissues to the homes of Halverson and Samantha Green, whose rejection by the council for a spot on the city’s planning commission started the public allegations of misogyny.
Green was finally appointed to the commission this week on a 5-to-0 vote with one council member abstaining.
Four council members apologized to the women at this week’s meeting. A fifth reportedly blamed Halverson for casting a shadow over the city with her claims.
“If you threaten us, we will not bow down to you,” Wendy Berry, one of the targets of the screws and a candidate for city council, told the council at this week’s meeting. “If you tell us we can’t do something, we will show that we can. If you come to our homes and vandalize our tires, we will change them in our driveway on a Sunday morning. We will file a police report, and we will start to organize a clinic to make sure that other women know how to change their tires.”
