‘Hail Hitler?’ KCK candidate repeatedly calls WyCo Board of Public Utilities Nazis | Opinion
Philip Lopez is running for a seat on the board of commissioners for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County’s 6th District. I would like to think he knows better than to compare public officials to Nazis. Seriously.
Words matter.
I’m no political operative or historical scholar, but this much I hold true: Never is it a good idea for any candidate for public office to use the phrase “Hail Hitler,” as Lopez has done on at least two occasions since September. (The German word is “heil.”)
Yes, context is important here — who could blame Wyandotte County residents for their grievances against Kansas City, Kansas’ Board of Public Utilities, the county’s publicly owned electric and water utility?
Not me.
But Lopez takes it too far.
At a recent campaign event in Wyandotte County, Lopez used inappropriate and dangerous rhetoric to describe the BPU’s history of alleged cronyism and its modus operandi, which he likened to Adolf Hitler’s murderous Nazi regime.
“BPU, we need to take control of that,” Lopez said on a video posted to a public Facebook page on Oct. 3. “It’s like, ‘Hail Hitler.’ There’s some Nazism going on like you wouldn’t believe.”
Under no circumstances is this sort of language ever acceptable. We shouldn’t normalize speech associated with hate and intolerance. We must call it out every time.
Wait, there’s more.
At a Unified Government Board of Commissioners meeting last month, Lopez spoke out against a rate increase and the rising cost of utilities. He also lampooned — with justification — the six-figure salary of BPU general manager Bill Johnson and other well-paid BPU executives.
But the language he used during public comments at the board of commissioners’ meeting Sept. 28 is not cool at all.
“I watched that whole BPU meeting with you guys,” Lopez said. “I mean, it’s like, I almost wanted to say, you know, like ‘Hail Hitler,’ you know? We’re being held hostage.”
This week, I contacted Lopez, who is running against Steve Neal to represent the county’s 6th District. I wanted to know if he knew how incendiary and harmful his message was.
Under Hitler’s rule, 6 million Jewish people and millions of others were murdered. Outrageous comparisons to Nazi Germany or its ruthless leader are offensive and trivialize the Holocaust, as the Anti-Defamation League has long reminded us.
Doubling down in text message
Not only were Lopez’s remarks in poor taste, but he continues to fail to understand the significance of his outlandish remarks. He should consider issuing an apology to Wyandotte County residents, constituents of the 6th District in south central KCK and the Jewish community hurt by these distasteful words.
In a brief text message exchange, Lopez, the owner of a tree trimming business in Wyandotte County, stood by what he said.
“On reference to BPU Nazism: That’s towards the management that solicits money from their customers and hold our utilities hostage,” Lopez wrote.
I wrote back: “That helps provides context, thanks. I did need to ask if you understood how wrong it is to compare public officials to a murderous dictator? And will you apologize for using that language repeatedly? Thank you.”
Lopez’s reply was anything but apologetic.
“I know he was a murderous dictator and I hope Hitler is burning in hell for that!” he wrote. “BUT how would you compare what BPU is doing to us???? (They’re) dictating what we have to pay or basically in the end if we don’t, we’re homeless.”
Later, he wrote: “What (they’re) doing is WRONG and (they’re) not being held accountable.”
Yes, BPU should be criticized for skyrocketing utility costs and high pay for top-level executives. And voters will have their say in November. Half of the BPU’s six-member board is up for reelection.
In an email, David E. Mehlhaff, chief communications officer for the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Public Utilities, declined to comment.
Neal, Lopez’s opponent in next month’s election, said: “There is evidence of him saying that. I’ll leave it at that.”
Here’s a final thought: Anyone running for public office should think twice before using Hitler or Nazi Germany as a talking point. Evoking imagery of the Holocaust to decry political enemies is an unacceptable campaign strategy.
This story was originally published October 25, 2023 at 12:30 PM.
