A Florida woman who serves on a citizen board in the local Village of Wellington shocked colleagues and members of the public alike when she straightened her arm and raised it slightly above her head, “Heil Hitler” style.
Marcia Radosevich apparently made the gesture as a joking means of explaining the power that’s wielded by the local the planning and development services director, Tom Stillings, United Press International reported. But the comparison of Mr. Stillings to the authority exercised by Adolf Hitler over the Nazis fell flat on the humor front.
A video of the hearing caught Mr. Stillings remarking, “Wow. Wow. That might be a bit over the top, I think.”
In a followup interview with the Palm Beach Post about Ms. Radosevich’s behavior, Mr. Stillings said: “it becomes uncomfortable when you’re dealing with an issue [and] whether it’s a board member or the public … they make it personal.”
Meanwhile, others at the meeting were hardly impressed.
“It was extremely inappropriate,” said Laurie Cohen, UPI reported. “I understand that she felt strongly about the point that she was trying to make, but I think the words she chose and the gesture she made were really inappropriate.”
Ms. Radosevich was actually trying to demonstrate dissatisfaction with a new proposal that would give Mr. Stillings and his staff the ability to review project applications independently of her Wellington Development Review Committee.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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