City Manager Paul Grimes told municipal employees in an internal email that he objected to conduct by some attendees at a packed mosque site plan meeting, while commending staff, police and firefighters for their work during the gathering.
The message went to city employees at 4:19 p.m. Aug. 5 through Amy Jeter, who sent it for Grimes. The Dallas Express said it reviewed images of the email and did not name the employee who shared it because the source could face consequences at work.
Grimes wrote that the public process at times reflected conduct he found unacceptable. "Personally, I was disgusted with those who tried to use their own faith to attack or belittle another. While free speech is a fundamental tenet of our First Amendment, so is the freedom to worship one's faith," he wrote. The email did not say which attendees or remarks he was referring to.
Council members in McKinney approved the 32,573-square-foot mosque and Islamic center site plan 7-0 late Tuesday after the speaker list topped 150 people. City staff had determined the updated plan met the zoning and development rules for the property, and city officials had said the council had limited legal discretion once that finding was made.
The meeting drew enough people to fill the council chamber, an overflow area and hallways at City Hall. Speakers addressed issues including traffic, parking, religious liberty and Sharia law.
The meeting also included boos, cheers and confrontations, including an incident in which officers stepped in after a woman approached former Mayor George Fuller, who supported the project, and pushed a sign reading "Don't Sharia My Texas" against his shirt before officers separated them and Fuller was escorted from the building.
