FOREST LAKE, Minn. - Things got a bit heated at Monday night's city council meeting in Forest Lake, Minn.
In the portion of the meeting devoted to an open forum for residents, Planning Commissioner Eric Langness approached the council -- and specifically, Mayor Ben Winnick -- to address what he called appalling comments made by the mayor at a previous meeting.
"For someone that has recently demonstrated such an absence of courage, you've got a lot of nerve calling me a liar," Langness said.
"Don't call me an absence of courage," Winnick responded.
Langness held a finger up to Winnick and demanded to finish the three minutes allowed to each resident during the open forum.
"I'm not going to give you that opportunity," Winnick said.
Langness continues, addressing several things Winnick said during a May 14 meeting, while Winnick continues to interject.
"If I could continue, this is supposed to be a public forum, where you're supposed to listen to the public," Langness said.
"I'd listen to the public, but I'm not going to listen to lies," Winnick responds.
At the end of Langness' remarks, Winnick tells him he's "really pushing it."
"We'll see you sometime when you're not in here," Winnick said. "We'll see who's a coward then, you piece of s---."
Council member Mara Bain responded to Winnick's comments saying, "That's over the line."
In an interview with KARE 11's Lou Raguse, Langness said he considered the statement a threat of violence, and has filed a police report. He believes Winnick should resign.
"Just absolutely uncivil discourse that should not be tolerated. And the sooner he’s not our mayor, the better," Langness said.
Winnick told KARE he is sorry to the people of Forest Lake for the offensive language he used, however he will not apologize to Langness. He said he wants to sit down and talk to him first.
"I lost my cool and I apologize to the people of Forest Lake for that. But Eric has been attacking me personally, attacking my business, telling deliberate lies and it got to me," Winnick said.
In the May 14 city council meeting, Winnick ended the meeting saying he wanted to take a few more minutes "because he's got a couple of issues with a couple of people."
Langness and Winnick recently butted heads over a vote taken during a planning commission meeting over a children's mental health treatment facility in town, where Winnick claims Langness called him out over his vote.
"To do this, and call me out over my vote, when I'm not there and I don't have an opportunity to respond, I think is wrong," Winnick said.
Winnick claims this is all because he did not appoint Langness to the city council earlier this year when a vacant spot opened up from a council member's resignation. Winnick appointed Blaine Backes to that seat instead.
"To say this was about the vote of the treatment facility, no. I have a lot of issues with that," Winnick said.
Langness told KARE 11 he and Winnick used to be friends and he even helped Winnick on his mayoral campaign.
You can watch the entire city council meeting here.