“You idiot!”: Cursing councilman goes on tirade against marijuana advocates

Published: Oct 31, 2017, 2:47 pm • Updated: Nov 3, 2017, 5:47 pm

By Benjy Egel, The Sacramento Bee

Colfax Mayor pro tem Tony Hesch cursed out a resident last week during a City Council meeting for interrupting him during a debate on keeping some marijuana policies under local control in the California city.

Hesch referred to pro-marijuana advocates as “people who have wasted our freaking time” over the last three years. He and Mayor Steve Harvey repeatedly called for order as audience members objected to that characterization. When Mark Younggren continued to question the council, Hesch flew into a rage.

“I was the one speaking, you idiot!” Hesch yelled, slamming his fist onto a table. “You shut the (expletive) up when somebody’s talking.”

Hesch doubled down on his words as other Colfax City Council representatives attempted to defuse the situation.

“I’m not going to settle down,” he said. “That’s just plain ridiculous, childish, unbelievable activities by you guys.”

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Hesch voted in favor of the ordinance regulating cannabis growth, cultivation, delivery and sales at the local level in anticipation of statewide legalization early next year. A Colfax resident who ran the town’s lone dispensary before its 2012 closure had his business license renewed at the previous council meeting despite Hesch and Harvey’s opposition.

Hesch and Younggren had previously sparred over the issue, but Wednesday’s meeting marked a new level of confrontation, Younggren told CBS13. The mayor pro tem has served on the Colfax City Council since 2012, when he was appointed to fill a vacant position. Earlier this year, he announced plans to step down from the council, but then reversed his decision, according to a report in the Colfax Record.

As Wednesday’s meeting returned to order, Hesch fired one more shot at Younggren and others interested in opening dispensaries in Colfax.

“All you’re doing is wanting to make money,” Hesch said. “You don’t give a damn about anybody in this community, you just want to make money. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Information from: The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.)

Topics: California, california pot shops, local enforcement, municipal regulations, pot shops, true story