The unpleasant incident allegedly took place on September 12 at a village meeting in Zebrzydowa. People gathered to discuss the village fund planned for the following year. County Council member Zbigniew Mitera, who was present at the meeting, allegedly insulted women from the Women’s Rural Housewives’ Association (KGW) during an exchange of views about budget proposals. In a complaint submitted to the County Council office on September 25, 2018, and signed by 20 people, we read that the councillor addressed the women with the following words:
“Those who..res are meddling again”
“You idiot, I’ll spit on you when I see you on the street; you’re so repulsive and ugly that I can’t look at you; you have such a mug that I wouldn’t swap places with you... [nie dokończył wypowiedzi]”
The women from the KGW did not know how to defuse the councillor’s behavior during the meeting. Conversation and rational arguments did not help, nor did the ironic applause that they directed at the board member’s “speech,” as they described it. In the complaint, they described the incident as follows:
“[Radny przyp. red.] did not accept that residents have the right to ask questions and submit their budget proposals. Anyone who wanted to ask a question or presented a proposal that did not suit the councillor was immediately insulted by him, while the question or proposal was deemed senseless or stupid. Through this behavior, the councillor showed a lack of respect for the meeting’s participants. [...]
In a civilized world, such a person—who insults people and has no respect for them because only his own interests matter—should not participate in politics in any way. Not to mention putting this man on electoral lists again in subsequent elections. And where, in all this, is the resident, the citizen? Are they needed only to vote? Once again, we do not understand the behavior of the Councillor, because similar situations involving this man have already occurred! [...]
As representatives of the KGW in Zebrzydowa, we are outraged by the negative behavior of Councillor Zbigniew Mitera, a member of the County Board. Such behavior is unbecoming of a public official who took an oath to observe the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and the law. In view of the above, we demand that official consequences be drawn against Councillor Zbigniew Mitera [...].”
In a telephone conversation with istotne.pl, Councillor Zbigniew Mitera firmly denied calling the women whores and gave us a written explanation, which he will submit to the chairperson of the County Council. It has so far been signed by several people, with more signatures expected; the councillor has only just begun collecting them. The letter states:
“Referring to the letter [....] entitled ‘Complaint against county councillor Zbigniew Mitera [...]’, in which Ms [...] describes an alleged incident from a village meeting [...], I inform you that it contains a number of untrue statements, and the events presented there did not unfold as described. [...]The events described in the ‘Complaint’ have been distorted and are intended to portray me, as a candidate in the elections, in a bad light. [...] In addition, publicizing them by circulating an account of the incident to institutions and councillors is intended to persecute me. [...]I firmly emphasize that I did not use any vulgar words toward Ms [...] or anyone else.[...].”
The women from the association also ask why county councillors did not receive the letter submitted to the County Council office several days before the most recent session. According to the women, the letter was given only to Councillor Mitera, who was not its addressee. According to information provided to us by the women, the councillor allegedly called people who had signed the complaint and visited them at home.
The councillor, in turn, told us that
“The authenticity of some of the signatures on the ‘Complaint’ also remains highly doubtful.
County Council Chairperson Ryszard Kawka admits that he made a mistake by not promptly forwarding the letter submitted to the office to the councillors and takes responsibility for it. However, he explains that Zbigniew Mitera was not delegated to the meeting in Zebrzydowa either by the Board or by the office, so the matter can only be resolved in court. The complaint does not concern the work of the County Office, and therefore the County Office will not handle it.
“Before the complaint was submitted, I received a call from the women of the Women’s Rural Housewives’ Association and explained that the matter could be taken to court,” Ryszard Kawka explains. “I personally felt very sorry, and I said so during the conversation. I have a rule that before I make any decision, I want to be sure, and I wanted to speak with the councillor first, but he was on sick leave. That is why I wrote to him saying that I was waiting for an explanation of the matter. I am ready to send the complaint to the councillors and attach Mr. Mitera’s explanation to it at the same time, and I intend to do so tomorrow,” Ryszard Kawka adds.
We have a case of one person’s word against another’s, just before the local elections. People have signed both parties’ letters: some signed the letter claiming that the councillor called the women whores, while others signed the letter in which the councillor denies that any vulgarities were directed at the KGW women.
The matter is difficult to resolve, but the women’s hurt is clearly visible. They emphasize that if the councillor had even come to their homes personally and apologized for his behavior, the whole matter would not have arisen.
Share your opinion in the comments. If we may ask, please refrain from vulgarities.
New information, 2018-10-09
The Women’s Rural Housewives’ Association in Zebrzydowa sent the following clarification to our editorial office.
The KGW in Zebrzydowa informs readers that it made every effort to resolve the situation involving Mr. Zbigniew Mitera on September 12, 2018. On September 17, 2018, at 4:39 p.m., during a telephone conversation, the women asked County Council Chairperson Ryszard Kawka to discuss resolving the situation. The women from the KGW proposed that Mr. Mitera apologize to them at the next village meeting, namely on September 26, 2018, and said that if Mr. Mitera apologized at the meeting, they would consider the matter closed, because elections were approaching and they did not want to prolong the matter, as it served no one. Chairperson Ryszard Kawka proposed that he would respond by September 21, 2018. On September 20, 2018, at 6:38 p.m., County Council Chairperson Ryszard Kawka called Ms. Zofia Frączek, a member of the KGW, and informed her that Mr. Mitera HAD NOT AGREED TO APOLOGIZE and had proposed taking the matter to court. The KGW also asked Mr. Stanisław Chwojnicki for help on September 18, 2018; the telephone conversation took place at 3:55 p.m., and they made the same proposal to him as they had to Mr. Kawka. Mr. Stanisław Chwojnicki negotiated with us about the location and was not particularly willing to agree to hold it during the village meeting on September 26, 2018. He suggested that it might take place at Ms. Zofia Frączek’s home. Mr. Stanisław Chwojnicki’s proposal was accepted, but he did not contact us again.