On Friday, 12 Common Council members signed a letter criticizing Ald. Joe Dudzik for suggesting a streetcar would be the scene of a rape or shooting.
Dudzik made the comments on a local radio broadcast, the day after the council delayed a final vote on a proposed streetcar loop for downtown.
Three aldermen did not sign the letter - Alds. Dudzik, Bob Donovan and Robert Puente.
On Monday, Puente's office released a statement saying he wholeheartedly agrees with the rebuke the 12 delivered but did not sign the letter, because he had not reviewed the facts.
Puente says he is "especially offended by the reference (Dudzik) made to Northridge Mall," hinting a 'racial thing' was responsible for its downfall, and the same would happen with a streetcar system.
The letter the 12 signed accused Dudzik of injecting "a scare tactic into a political debate about a transportation project."
They and Puente say they will work together to ensure that the debate over the streetcar remains focused on its merits.
