Taghkanic assessor Art Griffith, who unapologetically uttered the phrase “we jewed them down” at a Town Board meeting this winter, now has company... in Sauk County, Wisconsin.
According to reports in The Baraboo News and elsewhere, LaValle Supervisor Virgil Hartje described how in negotiations with a County vendor, they had “jewed down” the price. Hartje, the manager of a lumber yard and construction firm, initially refused to retract his remark, characterizing it as “more a business word” than a slur.
Griffith similarly shrugged off the incident, calling his term “common” and one that’s “used all the time.” Like Griffith, Hartje’s words inspired public and media outrage, along with a stern letter from his region’s chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.
But unlike Griffith, Hartje did finally apologize—albeit two months after the fact. And the Sauk County Board began to consider adopting a stronger code of conduct for its members.
