Read and rub your eyes in disbelief: an elected member of the Frederick County Council (Kirby Delauter) has a Facebook exchange with a reporter for the local Frederick News-Post (Bethany Rodgers) in which he presumes to instruct her not to “use my name or reference me in an unauthorized form in the future.” After some intervening comments, omitted in the screencap below, Delauter tells Rodgers: “Use my name again unauthorized and you’ll be paying for an Attorney. Your rights stop where mine start.”
This is crazy on so many levels one scarcely knows where to begin. There is no right not to be written about or have your name used by a reporter, much less if you are an elected public official representing thousands of voters. Worse yet is telling someone she’ll be paying a lawyer if she doesn’t shut up in the demanded way.
P.S. Screenshot taken (with intervening comments omitted) by local political figure Kai Hagen; Delauter tagged Rodgers in the post, which made it visible to those who are friends with her. More: Eugene Volokh, Twitchy, Steve Hayward/Power Line, Baltimore City Paper, Rob Beschizza/BoingBoing. Also, thank you @Popehat:
https://twitter.com/Popehat/status/552617832715157505
Update Jan. 7: Delauter has now apologized.
Free State Notes 
Who voted for this nut?
Kirby Delauter has a lawyer….wow….
This makes me feel better about our elected officials here in Carroll County.
I’ve had a similar outrage when I contacted a local candidate for an article on a meeting where he wasnt present so his info could be included. His supporters ripped me a new one….People dont understand journalism but criticise what we do regardless. They’re all about us covering their good news but God forbid we be there to cover the bad–then we’re not their “friend” anymore….
Never mind who voted for him, who liked his insane comment?
Clearly Kirby Delauter liked his own comment.
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Sounds like somebody has a “Majesty Complex.” This my friends is the type of bureaucrat we can all do without. We know this type all too well. The “Majesty Complex” infects the minds of many of our politicians, judges, prosecutors, police, and municipal officials to a point where they genuinely believe they are superior (in every way) to the very people who they were elected/hired to serve.
You and I, have a DUTY as citizens to properly adjust such beliefs afflicting these poor souls. Often, a proper, timely, public, and unapologetic, response to an official suffering from “Majesty Complex” will yield far better results at adjusting an attitude than voluntary therapy ever will. So take a page from Mrs. Rogers and meet that civic duty whenever the opportunity presents itself.
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