Audience comment draws B.G. councilman’s ire on Facebook

By his own admission, Battle Ground council member Alex Reinhold has a twisted sense of humor. The plumber has been known to laugh at the sight of sewage on floors, for instance.

But Reinhold’s easygoing demeanor was tested at Monday night’s council meeting, when an audience member made what he interpreted as racist comments while addressing the council about e-verify.

E-verify is an Internet program that allows businesses to know whether potential employees are eligible to work in the United States. A handful of city councils in Clark County, including Battle Ground, have passed resolutions requiring the use of E-verify for contractors.

Reinhold shared his disdain for the woman’s comments Tuesday afternoon on his Facebook page.

Reinhold posted: I was literally stunned when one person talked about moving here from Cali. because the classes in schools there full of “little brown children.”

Reinhold did not know the woman, he said during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. She identified herself as a teacher during the meeting. Regardless of profession, the woman’s comments were out of line, he said.

“Apparently the speech for the clan got mixed up with the council speech,” he posted on Facebook.

Most audience members show respect for the council when addressing them, Reinhold said.

“That’s the first time that’s ever happened,” he said during a phone interview about the woman’s comments.