STATEMENT OF RECORD
I wanted to provide a short clarification to the Dana Point News article last week, "Recall Petition Approved", which mentioned swearing. In Public Comments this week at the August 21 Council meeting, I was trying to clear up confusion, and reference persistent reports (from at least 6 people) that Diane Harkey was indeed heard swearing an obscenity on the night she walked out, during the City Council meeting of March 22, 2006.
The lead-in to the article in the Dana Point News states: "recall proponents had one of their own admit it was his wife who swore in a video at an earlier council meeting, not Harkey." This completely misstates my words, as I did not exonerate Harkey. I did state that reports persist that other swearing did take place. While my inference was Harkey, I did not mention her by name and regret now that I failed to make that clear, assuming everyone in the room knew whom I was referencing. Harkey's swearing, after all, was the subject of the discussion.
I did not state that others could have sworn that night, as the article again misstates. While not denying any words that anyone might have been able to hear on the audio (after all, there was a lot of commotion at that moment), I was trying to say that I knew of numerous reports of Harkey's profanity as she walked out of the meeting.
"That video is one that proponents had grabbed onto earlier as a reason to recall Harkey, stating she was the one swearing." Unfortunately this is another misstatement. I don't believe recall proponents ever claimed that any audible words are of any identified person, let alone Harkey. This is something else I was trying to clarify and state. For some time the recall web site has cited Harkey's actual words, as reported by six people.
The following individuals reported they heard Harkey swear; I believe all would provide sworn statements if required. They are Malcolm Wilson, Kathy Wilson, John Chaffetz, my wife Caroline, Jerry Grunor, and even Council member Lara Anderson. In addition, Malcolm Wilson and Jerry Grunor report they saw Harkey make an obscene gesture with her hand.
In fairness, I want to correct the record.
Antony Cooke
