State College borough leaders condemn ‘new order Nazi’ comments made by councilwoman
A State College borough councilwoman is again finding herself amid controversy over comments she made. This time, the comments were made in private correspondence — which has since been posted and shared more than 200 times on Facebook — with an individual voicing concerns over the borough’s new ordinance requiring masks and social distancing.
Theresa Lafer did not apologize Friday for referring to business owner Brooklynn Wingert as a “real new order Nazi,” but her remarks were condemned by State College borough leadership.
“This exchange is from one individual and is not reflective of the council as a whole or the borough of State College,” Mayor Ronald Filippelli and Council President Jesse Barlow said in a joint statement. “Personally, we do not agree with the language used in this exchange. We want to emphasize that the borough of State College values everyone’s participation in local governance. We encourage everyone to offer their comments and opinions.”
After the State College Borough Council unanimously voted Tuesday to pass an ordinance that requires masks in public, forbids long lines and caps gatherings in residences at 10 people, Wingert — who has three stepchildren living in State College and whose husband owns Wingert General Contracting in Bedford — emailed every council member, saying that the ordinance “is a violation on our rights as American citizens.”
“I do not live in State College, but I do business there as well as spend a decent amount of money at the local businesses,” she wrote Wednesday morning. “I will no longer be taking contracts that are located in State College, and I will be taking my money elsewhere to support boroughs who support the Constitution and the freedoms of Americans.”
Wingert said the decision to pass the ordinance was contradictory, adding that “protecting the innocent seems to only apply to COVID-19,” and restrictions damage businesses, workers and their families.
Lafer was the only council member to respond from her borough email. She thanked Wingert for sharing her “pointless and feckless” opinion.
Following a second message from Wingert, Lafer ended the chain with two lines.
“Wow!! A real new order Nazi,” she wrote. “How proud you must be — at least a century behind the times, but still an acolyte.”
In a response sent to the CDT from her Penn State email Friday, Lafer said she has been receiving letters “for some time” from a group that uses “fascist, political rhetoric” to attack her. The most recent one was sent Friday morning, she wrote. She did not specify whether Wingert was part of that group, but Wingert said Friday that this was her first correspondence with the councilwoman.
“Since I do not know or know of these writers, I can only define them by their own words and actions,” Lafer wrote. “Apparently, they do not like my analysis of their words.”
Lafer’s words also sparked controversy last year when she said she might be inclined to “shoot somebody,” during a conversation about a noise waiver during a borough council meeting.
This story was originally published August 8, 2020 at 9:52 AM.
