War of words brewing in Houston city council

(2/01/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- There's a fight brewing in Houston's city council. Some may even call it a catfight, as one council member accuses another of cursing at her and calling her a name in a council meeting.

We can't tell you what you word was used, but we can tell you it was common derogatory term used in public. But when it was used at city council meeting, that's when it became a problem.

"It s not appropriate behavior on the part of elected officials," said Houston City Councilmember Shelly Sekula-Gibbs.

Sekula-Gibbs is reacting to what she says was told to her by a fellow councilmember.

"My councilmember, Carol Alvarado, seems to be committed to every time I bring up the word TML to have an expletive deletive come out of her mouth," said Sekula-Gibbs during Tuesday's meeting. "That's unfortunate."

The incident happened during Tuesday morning's fiscal affairs meeting. Sekula-Gibbs was at the microphone when she says Councilmember Alvarado called her a derogatory term.

According to Gibbs, this wasn't the first time Alvarado called her the word. The same thing happened, she said, during another council meeting last week.

"During that conversation is where she first said, 'You are such a ...'," said Sekula-Gibbs. "And it was very inappropriate."

"I get called a lot of names, sometimes not the most favorable," said Alvarado. "I tend to focus on the issues that are important to the city."

Alvarado admits there were words exchanged last week, however doesn't recall using the derogatory term. As for Tuesday's meeting, she claims no such word was ever used.

"I'm sure it's not the first time councilmembers, elected officials have disagreed and in the heat of a discussion or debate, have had an exchange of words," said Alvarado.

We've listened a tape of the council meeting over and over and we didn't hear the alleged word used. But that's not stopping the mayor from reacting. A spokesperson says, "He did not hear the comments himself, if they were made. What he asked city councilmembers before is to work together, respect one another, and to talk each other, not about each other."
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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