Chico City Councilmember Alex Brown Condemns the Harassment of Scott Huber

Let’s get clear on something. Being a Councilmember is not a livelihood. If you are not retired or otherwise do not need to work, you have a job outside of public service when you take on this role. Most of us serve because we want to make a difference in our community, and we do the work of elected officials outside of our jobs/careers. I am so disappointed and disgusted to hear about the actions taken by community members which led to loss of employment for my fellow Councilmember, Scott Huber. I condemn it wholeheartedly, and call on my fellow Councilmembers to do the same. It is the right and decent thing to do.

Here’s what happened. Recently, the local political action committee that poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into getting your new City Council majority elected initiated a campaign of defamation and harassment against Councilmember Scott Huber for accepting summer employment out of state. They all but pleaded with Mr. Huber’s detractors to harass his employer into firing him...and their followers got the hint. Followers repeatedly called and emailed a small business and condemned its employee, threatening to post negative Yelp reviews for keeping Mr. Huber employed.

As a result, Mr. Huber resigned from the position. He did not wish to place any undue harm on his employer’s small business, especially during a time of unprecedented challenges for businesses across our country.

The local PAC and its affiliates dug their heels in, spinning a new narrative...one where their hands are clean because they didn’t explicitly state that people should contact Huber’s employer.

You have the right to dislike a Councilmember’s policy decisions. You have the right to critique policymakers. But to threaten someone’s livelihood as a result of your distaste for someone is not just downright unethical -- it is cruel, and it is absolutely deplorable.

Anyone involved in this harassment -- from those who encouraged it on social media, to those who made calls or wrote emails to an employer, to those who have celebrated Mr. Huber’s resignation -- should be ashamed of themselves. Your hands are most certainly not clean. No one, regardless of political affiliation or policy decisions, should have to fear for their ability to make a living. No one, regardless of political affiliation, should attempt to ruin someone’s ability to provide for themselves or their families.