I want to apologize to the community, my Council colleagues, City staff, and everyone who witnessed my reaction during the recent City Council meeting.
I take responsibility for my conduct. No matter how hurtful, personal, or inappropriate comments from the audience may be, I should not have reacted in a way that added to the disruption. I hold myself to a higher standard, and I fell short of that standard in that moment.
I also want to provide context, not as an excuse, but because understanding the current environment of our city council meetings helps to improve safe access to our meetings for all residents in the future.
After an incident several years ago, I navigate a periodic stutter. Several audience members could be heard mocking my stutter throughout the meeting. It felt humiliating, isolating, and antagonistic. I allowed that feeling to guide my reaction, and that was a mistake. I should have paused, asked for a recess, raised the concern through proper process, or stepped away from the situation. I am committed to using those tools moving forward.
Accountability begins with me, but it should not end with me. Public meetings must allow disagreement, criticism, frustration, and strong views. That is part of democracy. But mocking someone’s speech impairment, intimidating public servants, disrupting public business, and escalating behavior in a public meeting should never be treated as normal civic engagement.
I decided to serve because I wanted to give back to the place where I live, it is a worthy investment of time. Our democratic system works best when people feel heard, respected, and safe enough to participate. That includes residents, staff, elected officials, and community members who disagree with us. Civil discourse sustains the foundation that allows democracy to survive difficult moments.
I will continue to work with appropriate City leadership and staff to better understand how meeting safety and conduct protocols should be applied moving forward.
I am sorry for my reaction. I am also hopeful that this moment can become an opportunity for all of us to recommit to a more respectful and accountable civic culture, starting with myself.
Cristian Salgado
Hillsboro City Councilor
This statement is made in my personal capacity as one Councilor and does not speak on behalf of the City of Hillsboro or the full City Council.