Waxhaw Town Mayor issues statement after expletive-filled tirade at budget meeting
WAXHAW, N.C. – The mayor of Waxhaw is facing calls to apologize after his profanity-laced tirade at a commissioner meeting.
It happened Tuesday night as commissioners discussed the budget. After two commissioners began arguing with each other, Mayor Robert Murray expressed his frustration with their behavior, yelling in part, “I’m f****** done with y’all!”
This is a clip from the meeting, provided to WCCB by the Town of Waxhaw’s communication manager. Viewers will hear profanity in this video.
Now, some city council members are calling for the mayor to take accountability for his outburst and issue an apology.
In a statement to WCCB, Mayor Murray says:
On Tuesday June 24th the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners sat down to finalize the FY 25/26 budget and set the new property tax rate for all the homeowners in Waxhaw. It was an important meeting that featured a big decision.
After 4 unproductive hours, filled with stone silence from all 5 commissioners, I finally lost my cool and expressed my emotions at that moment. My outward expression mirrored the rage inside that stemmed from 4 lost hours of my life, not to mention the hours lost by all the staff.
The board had already met three times to discuss the budget. Tuesday was scheduled to be the final discussion capped by the final vote. But there was very little discussion and no productive votes, for 4 hours.
For anyone wishing to judge my reaction, I invite you to sit down, with no phone, no book, no TV or magazines, no one to talk to, just sit and watch all four hours. Then tell me how you feel.
Shortly after my outburst we did have a breakthrough that resulted in a unanimous vote for the budget with a new tax rate of 0.29/$100. I’m glad we got it done. We broke a few eggs but the omelet was made.
The very next day the board came together to interview 3 strong candidates for Town Manager. The interviews were followed by a productive discussion and another unanimous vote by the board. So, not only do we have a new budget, but we also have a new Town Manager. A productive week by any measure.
It’s not always pretty seeing how things get done. It’s one reason why a lot of politicians try to do things in private, away from the public eye. But that’s not how a representative republic is supposed to work.
I would like to thank our Interim Town Manager, Richard Hicks, for all his hard work and dedication in getting this budget across the finish line. I would also like to thank that Town Staff of Waxhaw, a committed, hardworking team that did a lot to support our decision making process. Waxhaw is set for success with a bright future in front of us all.
Thank you,
Mayor
Robert J. Murray III
