A word of advice to public officials during traffic stops: keep quiet and handle the inconvenience like the rest of us.
Berkeley City Councilman Ben Bartlett is learning that lesson the hard way. He has issued an apology for his behavior during a traffic stop last month, in which he ever so slyly noted that he was in the middle of negotiations over police pay. Wink wink.
“Is this really necessary?,” Bartlett asked the officer who had stopped him for running a red light. “You know, we’re voting on your contract right now and I took a big stand to get you a raise.”
When the cop ticketed him anyway, Bartlett got even more pointed.
“Breaking my [expletive] to give you guys the biggest raise possible. This is how you repay me?”
Bartlett now says he feels bad about the encounter and wants the city’s officers to know he supports them.
“I feel like I’ve let everyone down. And my action was inexcusable. I want to do better and I promise to do better.”