It only took about eight hours, but Denver Mayor Michael Hancock issued a very weak conditional non-apology for lecturing citizens to not travel over the Thanksgiving holiday right before he stepped on a plane to Houston.
Instead of saying he was wrong for telling people to avoid travel while he was boarding a plane to Houston, he instead apologized to Denver residents who saw his comments to be hypocritical.
So, really not an apology at all.
In the wishy-washy statement, Hancock admitted he “urged everyone to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.”
“What I did not share, but should have, is that my wife and my daughter have been in Mississippi, where my daughter recently took a job,” Hancock said. “As the holiday approached, I decided it would be safer for me to travel to see them than to have two family members travel back to Denver.”
Hancock then, astoundingly, played the victim in the next paragraph by saying that he recognized that his decision disappointed “many who believe it would have been better to spend Thanksgiving alone.”
The issue was not whether he was going to spend Thanksgiving alone.
The issue is that he told Denver citizens not to travel. The issue is he told Denver citizens to host virtual gathering instead of in-person dinners.
Then he chose to travel to attend an in-person dinner.
That’s why there is so much warranted criticism.
He goes on to weakly apologize again — not for his actions — but if people were offended by what he did.
“As a public official, whose conduct is rightly scrutinized for the message it sends to others, I apologize to the residents of Denver who see my decision as conflicting with the guidance to stay at home for all but essential travel,” he said.
Yes. It is absolutely conflicting with your guidance because your travel was not essential travel.
“I made my decision as a husband and father, and for those who are angry and disappointed, I humbly ask you to forgive decisions that are borne of my heart and not my head,” he said.
No. Denver citizens should not forgive these actions.
Try again, mayor. Apologize for being a hypocrite. Apologize for saying one thing and doing another. Apologize for putting yourself above the people you are supposed to lead.
Apologize to all the elected leaders who got in to public service because they honestly care about people. Because with one fell swoop, you hurt all of them.
Lastly, why does Cowboy State Daily care? Outside of being geographically close to Denver, why would we chime in?
Because Wyoming is blessed with so many public servants who actually do care.
Wyoming is blessed with many public servants, in the legislature for example, who make a pittance but they serve because they love their state and they are trying very hard to make it better.
When any elected official knowingly misleads the public and then on top of that won’t acknowledge the deceit, it poisons all of them.
Try again, mayor.
