Zionsville mayor shares opinions on gun violence in expletive-laced Facebook comments 

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Zionsville Mayor Emily Styron recently had some harsh words on Facebook in response to a comment from a Westfield man on a post about supporting candidates in favor of stricter gun laws.

 On May 26, in response to the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, Zionsville-based Robert Goodman Jewelers posted about the need for businesses to “put aside profit” and “support candidates who support change.”

Later that day, Joel Bardach of Westfield commented on the post, stating that mass shootings are “a mental illness problem,” that you “can’t get rid of the guns,” that violence in Chicago and New York “prove gun laws alone don’t work” and that there is “no easy answer from anyone.”

The following day at 2:22 p.m., Styron posted an expletive-laced reply to Bardach from her personal Facebook account.

“Hey Joel Bardach … [expletive]you. I am so sick and tired of the stupid, useless rhetoric by jack***** like you when it comes to gun regulation. [Expletive] sick and tired of mass murders if (sic) OUR [expletive]CHILDREN… it’s time for the majority who know that gun permits and banning automatic weapons is COMMON [expletive]SENSE. So yeah, [expletive]YOU,” Styron’s post states.

In another post in response to Bardach, she stated that she is the “[expletive]mayor of this town.”

Styron, the only elected Democrat in town government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bardach said he has never met or interacted with Styron beyond the post and that he didn’t immediately realize who she was.

“I just thought it was the ultimate expression of bullying and hate that I’ve ever seen,” Bardach said. “I’m 71 years old, and I don’t think I’ve ever had anybody talk to me like that.”

Bardach said he hasn’t received an apology and doesn’t expect one.

“She doesn’t need to apologize to me. She needs to apologize to the voters in Zionsville,” Bardach said. “She ought to resign. She’s over her skis if this is how she communicates.”

Zionsville Town Council President Jason Plunkett said he was surprised by the comments.

“The voters in our town expect elected officials to engage residents in a respectful manner whether they share the same opinions or not,” he stated. “This language and attitude are both disappointing and embarrassing for the town. Obviously school safety and related issues are very important and complex issues that need to be addressed. We must be able to approach our leaders in a civil manner, so that we can solve these serious problems together.”


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