An Atlantic City councilman's words came back to haunt him Wednesday, after he said city workers should "spit on" the mayor during a radio talk show appearance.
The comment was made on Harry Hurley's radio show earlier this month as Councilman George Tibbitt talked about allegations that Mayor Marty Small lobbied false allegations against his daughter's boyfriend, which were made public in a tort claim filed by the teen's attorney and first reported by BreakingAC.
"I want all of you in Public Works to listen to this and all city workers to listen to this," Tibbitt said before talking about the harassment alleged in the filing.
"Every one of you should be pissed and spit on him when you see him," Tibbitt said.
Instead, some said they were mad at Tibbitt for making such a comment, and for seeming to focus on Public Works.
"You wouldn't tell police or fire to go spit on somebody," Assistant Public Works Director Ahmid Abdullah Sr. said during the meeting.
Tibbitt acknowledged that he should not have said that, and insisted he apologized on the show shortly after he said the words.
"Did you apologize to (the mayor)?" asked Floyd Tally, who works for the city's anti-violence group One Neighborhood Evolution. "This is the man you said it about. ...
"Telling them to spit on the mayor is like telling them to shoot the mayor," he added. "It's an assault."
"At least I can say I'm wrong when I do something," Tibbitt said.
The councilman and mayor were political allies for years, running together on the same ticket until 2021. Once the partnership broke down, the attacks started from both sides.
The mayor would not comment publicly on the issue.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
