Lino Lakes City Council votes to censure member over praise for anti-Muslim email
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The Lino Lakes City Council voted Monday to censure one of its members after he praised an anti-Muslim email.
According to the censure resolution, Council member Chris Lyden received an email in early August from a member of the public containing “derogatory comments about the Muslim faith.”
Lyden responded from his city email account, “Might be the best email I have ever received! Thank you Sir!”
The council voted 3 to 1 on Monday to censure Lyden. The resolution called his email inappropriate, and noted it “could be interpreted by some as endorsing the views and opinions expressed in the email.”
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Mayor Rob Rafferty said the comments were inappropriate coming from a city official’s email.
“That’s not a reflection of how the rest of the council is trying to address — or better yet, it’s not how the city is trying to address — some things,” Rafferty said.
Lyden defended his response. He said he had not expressed support for any specific claims in the email he received, but was praising the composition of the message.
“‘Best email’ only refers to the form of the email,” Lyden said. “Rare do I ever receive an email in which the author states a premise and then actively supports that premise with 10-plus facts.”
The email exchange was related to a Muslim-oriented housing development, which drew backlash from some residents and support from local Muslim leaders. The project is on hold after the council passed a one-year moratorium over the summer.
Representatives of Minnesota’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said they also received the initial email, which they called Islamophobic and painful.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN, addressed Lyden and fellow council members during the meeting’s public comment period.
“You need to resign. The rest of you need to hold him accountable,” Hussein said.
Rafferty and Council members Tony Cavegn and Dale Stoesz voted for the censure resolution. Council Member Michael Ruhland voted against it. Lyden did not vote on the measure.