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Sedgwick County commissioner under fire after dispute at local bar

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Sedgwick County commissioner under fire after dispute at local bar

Posted August 26, 2022

Sedgwick County commissioners have issued statements in response to a situation that happened last weekend involving 4th District Commissioner Lacey Cruse.

Media reports said Cruse was banned from XY Bar in Wichita after a dispute with a bartender, and the bartender accused Cruse of calling her a name that was racist. Cruse issued a statement on her Facebook page on Thursday:

I take full responsibility for the miscommunication in a loud bar that happened this past weekend. If I had handled the situation differently all this could have been avoided and it is important that I take ownership of my actions. I have personally reached out to the bartender to give my sincerest apologies.

Yesterday the owner requested I meet with him, and I welcomed the opportunity to have a discussion. I met with him in good faith at a location of his choosing. Unfortunately, I do not believe he ever intended to have a productive conversation. He accused me of supporting the white power movement and other blatant falsehoods. I don’t know what his motives are but I can only assume at this point based on his actions that they are not too genuine.

As an elected official and on a personal level, I am always trying to learn more and do better. I appreciate the opportunity to address this in an open and honest way and would welcome further meaningful discussion.

Sedgwick County Commission chairman David Dennis and chair pro tem Sarah Lopez issued a statement Friday:

The situation that occurred over the weekend involving a Sedgwick County Commissioner is disappointing and disturbing. This demonstrates to us, as elected officials that we must be ever-present and ever-vigilant to always have positive interactions with our community.

As County Commissioners, we represent more than a half-million people and our work is every day and at all hours. We do not take this responsibility lightly as we are a representative of the people and for the people. As a County Commission, we adopted a Code of Ethical Conduct in 2018, adopted by the Kansas County Commissioners Association that upholds six principles which includes under Principle 2 “modeling decorum, respect for others and civility in all public relationships” as an elected official. It is important that, we, as elected officials take responsibility for our mistakes and show leadership to you, our constituents. The citizens of Sedgwick County deserve elected leaders who model respectful behaviors and professionalism to all we serve.

County commissioner Pete Meitzner also issued a statement:

The recent news regarding the behavior of one of our commissioners is a reminder that Sedgwick County does have a code of ethics that was approved, and mirrors the one adopted statewide by the Kansas Association of Counties. We all, as county commissioners, need to adhere to the code of ethics we adopted.

County commissioner Jim Howell also responded to the situation:

The lessons learned are obvious. In situations like this, we all can better understand how words can become racially offensive and hurtful. It also demonstrates that elected officials are human too even though we expect them to model the highest levels of civility. Nevertheless, the County Commissioners adopted a code of ethics for a reason and it should be honored.