By HOI ABC

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington’s incoming mayor said everyone in the community, not just Alderwoman Jenn Carrillo, should be held to a higher standard of civil discourse.

At Monday night’s city council meeting, Alderman and Mayor-elect Mboka Mwilambwe said a comment made during the public participation portion of last week’s council meeting was racist, even if it was an unintentional remark.

The commenter said of Carrillo, “Ship her back to where she came from.”

At the time, Mayor Tari Renner said the comment was “ridiculously close to xenophobia.”

The council censured Carrillo last week for saying on social media that she planned on making two newly elected council members’ lives a “living hell” for the next two years.

What people say in public has a “tremendous” impact on the community, particularly for young people, said Mwilambwe.

He’s directing staff to draft a statement citing expectations for public comments at future city council meetings.

“So much as I value freedom of speech, I think it’s important that we also value choosing our words wisely in order to foster a community where our words elevate each other rather than tear each other down,” Mwilambwe said.

Carrillo responded to Mwilambwe’s comments.

“I appreciate the sentiment behind your comments today,” Carrillo said.

“The only thing is that rhetoric isn’t new. I wish that we had spoken about it sooner, and I hope that if that’s the standard we’re holding ourselves to then that standard is applied equally to everyone,” Carrillo also said.

Monday night was the final council meeting for two-term Mayor Renner, along with Council members Joni Painter and Kimberly Bray.