This week the Owen Sound Hub publicly released a letter titled "Politics of Intimidation: An Open Letter to City Council," which made some strong statements about the Deputy Mayor and questioned the Mayor's credibility and motives.

If it's an open letter to the council, why did it appear in the media, you may ask? Partly because the Mayor ruled that this 'open letter' was out of order and violated the Council Code of Conduct at Monday night's meeting. The Code of Conduct is the set of rules that all nine of your elected officials follow, and it spells out the remedy for concerns such as those expressed in the letter. That remedy is not the court of public opinion. It is the Integrity Commissioners office, which will thoroughly investigate any such claim.

The issue of bullying is a hot button topic in our society, as well it should be. Unfortunately, once accused of such behavior publicly, it is difficult to defend oneself against the accusation. As social media comments indicate, people are only too willing to believe the accuser without considering whether the charge has any merit.

The City of Owen Sound has nine elected officials, and it's important to remember that this letter is one person's opinion.

Taken at face value, it appears to express concern regarding a serious social issue. But let's look at some of the words and phrases used. Mansplaining. Appalling and uncivilized. Renders timorous—strong language, aimed at provoking a response. I can't say that I've seen a single individual rendered timorous at any time in our council chamber. Politics is not about being timorous. Being a Councillor is about the free exchange of ideas, discussion, and sometimes disagreement. But one thing is clear to all of us in the council chamber: disagreement is about your idea, not you. It's an underlying principle of all democratic debate. There is nothing personal in the discussions and occasional disagreements that occur at the council.

The fact that this letter was made public before being sent to the Integrity Commissioner makes me question whether it was really about bullying at all. Neither Councillor Merton or Councillor Greig asked for inclusion, and in fact, both have resolved issues to their satisfaction.

I look forward to the results of an investigation by the City's Integrity Commissioner.

There are seven other elected officials in the City of Owen Sound, and we represent you, the citizens, not ourselves. If you genuinely believe that bullying is an issue, please contact any of us and ask some questions.

Richard Thomas