Words exchange Monday night caused Slatington Councilman Bryon Reed to walk out before the borough's monthly meeting was adjourned.

While ironing out the finer details of the 2016 proposed budget, Councilman Jon Rinker interrupted Reed's comments on what should and shouldn't stay on the pages."Bryon, it seems like you've had this figured out. Why you didn't talk to Duane (Dellecker, borough office manager) beforehand," Rinker said."You want me to shut up? I will. Every time I say something you've got something cocky to say about it. I'm trying to be a team player, if you don't want be a team player," Reed started to say, only to be interrupted by Rinker."You must have had something prepared; you've had a comment on every page. If you know so much why didn't you help?""Jon, just shut up.""Don't tell me to shut up.""I'm just putting my two cents in - with my experience, you know what I'm doing," Reed said as he rose from his chair."Bryon, please sit down," President Gwyneth Jones said."No. I don't have to put up with this," Reed said, gathering his things before he left the meeting.Before this discussion the two councilmen had exchanged words over a proposed ordinance that would require landlords to more closely inspect the properties rented to tenants."A few years ago they were going to do something like this and it was a big deal. At the last committee meeting there were no comments about this? What's the background?" Reed asked the council."A lot of properties are falling into disarray. At least we can assure there's upkeep. Right now a lot of things aren't being done and it's getting worse," Councilman Joe Wechsler said."I'll just say it - we're getting a lower class of people because we're renting crappy apartments. If the landlord cares he'll rent to better people," Rinker said."It's up to the landlord who he rents to," Reed said."If you have a crappy place you'll have crappy people," Rinker said."Well it should be researched.""Bryon, we researched this and discussed it. I'm tired of seeing Slatington fall lower and lower, property value dropping lower and lower and the police have to come out and deal with it," Wechsler said.At the top of the meeting, before any arguments were sparked, the Slatington Police Chief David Rachman had reprimanded the council for the very exchanges that would happen later in the evening. He read a letter he had written to the council asking them to be better elected officials."I am seeing and experiencing things with certain members of this present council that are unprecedented. Whether it is a lack of understanding of what the job entails, our responsibilities to the public or your own responsibilities and limitations as council members, I don't know," he said."What I do know is that temper tantrums, petty vindictiveness, snide comments and irresponsible speech are deleterious to our efforts as employees and it detracts from what our focus should be," he said."This is not what the public pays taxes for, this is not what the public wants and it is certainly not what the public deserves. And by the way, these issues are not exclusive to my own experience or to the police department. This involves all employees and volunteer services of this borough."Rachman told the council, "Everybody working for and living in this borough deserves and expects our best, we as employees deserve yours."The chief's remarks were heard only a half an hour before Councilman Reed's abrupt departure.