A city councillor in Seward, Alaska issued a public apology on Tuesday for referring to negotiating a more favourable price as “Jew them down,” reported the Peninsula Clarion.
Sharyl Seese’s comment came at the end of a two-hour council meeting regarding city administration’s spending plans for $1 million they were given by Norwegian Cruise Lines.
City officials and the council had agreed to meet further to iron out details about using half the money for reimbursing developers and the other half for child care expansion.
Commenting on the numbers, Seese reportedly said, “Maybe they can get other stuff to pay the difference to get the building and maybe we can Jew them down.”
Seward Mayor Christy Terry responded, “You mean negotiate them down? Is that what you meant to say?”
The meeting was stopped soon after Seese made the comment.
Seese has been on the council since 2018.
On Tuesday, Seese issued a public apology.
“I would never want to hurt or offend anyone, and my mouth got the best of me. I had a sleepless night worrying about hurting people,” she wrote, according to KDLL Public Radio.