Ron Taylor believes he “took a stand” against political correctness. Other Black Diamond City Council members and the mayor said Taylor made offensive remarks in an inappropriate fashion.

Either way, despite assurances from the mayor saying otherwise, Taylor is not sorry.

“I don’t regret it,” said Taylor, a council member since 2012.

On Oct. 16, the Black Diamond City Council approved a resolution to adopt a bill signed by Gov. Jay Inslee in March that allows public employees, including employees at public schools, institutions of higher education and state-funded workforce training programs, to make two unpaid religious holidays each year. The bill can be utilized by individuals of any religion, but was most specifically aimed to provide flexibility to employees of faiths such as Islam or Judaism whose holy days do not fall on federal holidays. The employee will be allowed to take the unpaid holidays on the selected days “unless the absence would unduly disrupt operations, impose an undue hardship or the employee is necessary to maintain public safety.”

Despite strong bipartisan support, some reported concerns included typical workload and staffing concerns and potential for employee abuse. A newsletter from Seattle law firm K&L Gates said the act “creates special challenges for public employers throughout the state, including how to determine when a request for a holiday is covered by the act, how to avoid abuse by employees and when a request for a holiday can be denied. Unfortunately, the act provides little guidance on these issues.”

The bill took effect June 12 and has no fiscal impact to cities. Mayor Dave Gordon called Black Diamond’s adoption of the policy “pure housekeeping,” since the city is bound by law to accept it.

Still, prior to casting his vote, Taylor publicly voiced his opinion on the subject.

“In my opinion, this is another step toward political correctness, which I do not support,” Taylor said at the meeting. “I mean, let’s face it, this nation was founded as a Christian nation. Tonight when we gave the pledge of allegiance, we said, ‘one nation under God.’ If one of us went to an Islamic country, do you think one of us could demand a holiday there? I don’t think that would go over very well. Anyway, I don’t support this.”

Shortly after the council voted 3-1 in favor of the resolution, Enumclaw resident Cindy Proctor voiced her displeasure with Taylor’s statements during public comment, telling Taylor she was “so disappointed on your vote and your comments. Half of my office is Jewish and was out for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.”

Ron Taylor’s wife, Robbin Taylor, spoke immediately following Proctor in defense of her husband, calling the bill an “appeasement move.”

“I believe something like this wouldn’t have come up except that Islam is coming up more and more in our faces,” Robbin Taylor said. “The Jewish people have for millennium quietly gone about worshipping on their festival days, their holidays, all of that and have not demanded those. But now that we have – dare I say it – radical Islam that it is coming into our faces, we feel that we have the need to appease them by putting in laws and resolutions in their favor and maybe they’ll like us and then they’ll be nice. I believe this is a politically correct resolution because what difference is it if you put it in a resolution or law in the state that they get two unpaid holidays off of their choice than them just asking for a day off?”

Councilwomen Janie Edelman, who missed the Oct. 16 meeting, and Carol Benson declined to make extensive comments about the issue, with both saying Taylor is entitled to his own opinion. Councilwomen Erica Morgan and Tammy Deady told The Reporter they were offended.

Morgan said Taylor’s comments were “totally off base” and that his premise is “wacko.” Morgan contended that other countries do make religious concessions and that Taylor’s “narrow-centric” point of view plays in with his “overboard in the box, bigoted, Republican ideal.”

“It’s a bigoted point of view and has no place in the public realm,” she said.

Deady told The Reporter in a phone interview that she does not agree with Taylor’s stance and that everyone should be able to observe his or her own holiday.

“I feel that it was a wrong comment,” she said. “I guess I would say that I was offended by it. It wasn’t a comment that ever should have been made.”

Mayor Dave Gordon told The Reporter that, while everyone is entitled to his or her personal opinion, Taylor crossed the line to offensive territory and abused his authority as an elected official.

“When you voice your opinion and it hurts others, that’s wrong,” Gordon said. “And when an elected official does it and does it publicly, in a public forum, that just makes it that much more unforgivable.”

Gordon also told The Reporter he’d spoken to several people who, like him, were offended by the statement and that he apologized on Taylor’s behalf.

“It’s not the city’s job to offend anyone,” Gordon said. “We really need to be sensitive of everyone. No one should get their feelings hurt while we conduct city business.”

In an apparent attempt at damage control, Gordon also told The Reporter in a written statement that he “can assure everyone that I talked to Council Member Taylor about it and he regrets what was said. He just feels very strongly about it and had to speak his mind.”

When asked by The Reporter about Gordon’s assurance, Taylor denied ever making apologies about his statement and said he was quite comfortable with how everything transpired. Taylor said Gordon spoke to him after the Oct. 13 meeting and advised him how “he would handle it.” Taylor said he never expressed to the mayor that he was apologetic.

“I chose to take a stand,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he has “friends and acquaintances from a wide diverse group of religions” and doesn’t “have anything against any particular group of people.” Taylor said his beef is with the law, which he says un-equalizes an already equal playing field of vacation time, showing “favoritism” to other religions – although Taylor acknowledged the law is officially for all religions. When some choose to take these days, Taylor added, productivity is lost and taxpayers lose money.

“It shows more preference for some over others when everything is already equal,” Taylor said, calling the law reverse discrimination.

Gordon said he was offended that Taylor used his position as a podium and would have preferred if Taylor spoke about his stance during public comment.

“I didn’t agree with his opinion, but I was offended that he would use his position as a council member to voice his personal opinion,” Gordon said. “It’s not the forum for Ron Taylor’s personal beliefs to have been aired.”

Taylor said his remarks were said at the appropriate time, wanting to be transparent and clarify his ensuing “nay” vote for the law.

Taylor said council members are not permitted to speak during public comment.

When told that a fellow council member called his remark “bigoted,” Taylor didn’t hesitate.

“OK,” he said. “That’s certainly their prerogative to see it that way. They’re entitled to their opinion, but then so am I.”

Gordon also told The Reporter that elected officials are held to a higher standard and should always try to “never offend the public.”

Taylor disagreed with that sentiment.

“There is no way to be a public official without offending people,” he said. “You will never get by.”