QUESTION AND A COMMENT IN STORY. ALSO, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE IN ADDITION TO RAY LEE WE COULD QUOTE?

A dispute over displaying yellow ribbons in public places took an acrimonious turn with the release of e-mailed correspondence between Mayor Claude Morgan and a South Portland resident who complained about the tribute.

Calvin Muse, who lives off Cottage Road, posted to his MySpace Web site correspondence he received in July from Morgan, who referred to organizers of the yellow ribbon displays as “yahoos.”

Morgan also wrote that Valorie Swiger, lead organizer and mother of slain soldier Jason Swiger, is “the queen of yellow ribbons.”

Muse, an artist, said he decided to post the e-mails after concluding that the city was not making decisions in a public forum. “I felt that everything needed to be out in the public domain,” Muse said.

Morgan acknowledged this week that he wrote the e-mails, but did not intend to be disrespectful toward Swiger and the others who tied 2,000 yellow ribbons to telephone poles, trees and signs to show support for U.S. troops.

“In my mind, the choice of words is not derogatory,” said Morgan after the e-mail was read back to him. “I consider folks who are plugging along consistently with something as ‘yahoos.’

“I’m a Texan, and where I come from ‘yahoo’ is a rallying cry,” Morgan continued. “When you jump into a project that you’re committed to, you shout ‘yahoo!’ “

Swiger did not respond to several requests for comment.

She and her supporters have been in a dispute with the city for violating an ordinance that prohibits ribbons, flyers and other items from being posted on public property.

Ray Lee, who helped put up the ribbons, said he is offended by Morgan’s comments.

“The mayor is the type of guy who talks out of both sides of his mouth,” Lee said, referring to promises city officials made to consider erecting a war monument, so residents would have a place to leave mementos.

Lee said he has known the Swiger family for decades. He said that Valorie Swiger is having an especially difficult time, because the city is pressuring her to agree to the idea of a war monument and to take the ribbons down.

///Lee said Swiger is preparing to move her son’s body to a different burial site and the effort is taking a toll on her.///WHY AND FROM WHERE TO WHERE AND WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH THE YELLOW RIBBONS?///I THINK, CUT IF WE DON”T KNOW…////

“South Portland is the most unpatriotic city in this country. It is not because of the people who live here but because of a few politicians at City Hall who have no sense at all,” Lee said. “They are causing all the problems.”

The e-mailed correspondence Muse posted is dated from July 8 to July 23. It is a series of responses by the city and the media to Muse’s questions and complaints about the ribbons and why they have not been removed from public places.

In a July 8 e-mail, Morgan wrote to Muse: “I’m giving (Acting City Manager) Jim Gailey the week to try to work out something with the yahoos who maintain… the ribbons.”

He also wrote that “Gailey is visiting with Valerie Swiger, the queen of yellow ribbons tomorrow to try to convince the group that they should be spearheading a permanent multi-confrontation war memorial in Sopo. In return, the City will help locate an agreeable sight on City property and the ribbons come down.”

Morgan concluded the e-mail by stating that the ribbons “WILL come down. One way or another. I’m just looking for a solution that will make everyone happy.”

In the same July 8 e-mail to Muse, Morgan wrote that the council was split on whether the ribbons should stay up.

He encouraged Muse to put pressure on Councilor Linda Boudreau, noting she is up for re-election this year. “I’d ask that you email Linda B and tell her that it’s time for them to come down regardless of who’s property they’re on.”

Boudreau, in a phone interview, said she was not aware of the e-mail exchange, nor did she get a personal note from Muse.

“I wasn’t aware that (another councilor) was trying to articulate my position,” Boudreau said about Morgan’s comments. “This council doesn’t seem to learn that e-mails are not the way to communicate.”

She said that the council never scheduled a vote this summer on the yellow ribbon display, and said that it does not plan one.

Boudreau added that she is satisfied with the ordinance in place banning materials on public property, especially since Central Maine Power stated that the supporters should not be tying ribbons on utility poles.

“CMP seems relatively clear they do not want these things on their poles for safety reasons,” she said.

As for Morgan’s written statements about her, Boudreau added: “What can I say? I’m offended that he put these things down for eternity for the world to read.”

The last time the council voted on the displays was in the spring, when members agreed to allow the yellow ribbons for one month after the deaths in Iraq of Swiger, an Army sergeant, and Marine Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa, another South Portland resident.

But the ribbons stayed up and more were added, prompting complaints by residents who viewed them as a political statement supporting the war.

Muse was among the residents voicing concerns.

“I don’t oppose the display of the yellow ribbons provided citizens have input,” Muse said in a phone interview. “I oppose the fact they were up illegally after the 30-day waiver the council passed was up.”

Muse said he believes any discussion over the yellow ribbons or a war memorial should be done in public.

He said he is worried that the city is trying to strike a deal with Swiger and her supporters for a war memorial to end a public spat.

“It trickled out there were strange goings-on behind the scenes, that city councilors were meeting privately with organizers and making promises,” Muse said.

In another posted e-mail, the city manager implored Muse to be patient. “We are working on a solution,” Gailey wrote. “We don’t want a media circus … No one wins in this case and all that it could really do is give South Portland another black eye.”

Last week, Gailey offered to work with Swiger and her supporters to plan a war memorial celebrating all veterans. The city, meanwhile, plans to put drop boxes at the Rec Center and other places for residents to leave care packages for soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Boudreau said the idea for the war memorial came from residents in Ferry Village, who know the Swiger family. She said they suggested placing a monument in a neighborhood park where Jason Swiger played as a child.

“The fact that Valorie Swiger and the Rosa family have been invited to participate in a committee to study a war memorial should not be framed as cutting a deal,” Boudreau said. “They’re logical choices.”

Morgan echoed Boudreau’s view. “I want to be clear here that the city has made no deal with anybody,” Morgan said. “We’ve heard concerns that the city is making compromises behind closed doors. We are not making deals. We are aiming for compliance with our ordinance.”

Morgan said the allegations of backroom dealmaking prompted requests by some local newspapers to see his e-mail correspondence regarding the yellow ribbon dispute. He said he complied with the requests.

The publicizing of Morgan’s e-mail exchanges on the MySpace Web site is the second time the District 1 councilor has been at the center of an e-mail conflict.

Earlier this year, Morgan was criticized for trying to prepare former City Manager Ted Jankowski for a job evaluation by the council. Morgan’s e-mails with Jankowski became the subject of scrutiny and media reports.

As for his e-mailed comments about the yellow ribbons, Morgan said, “I fired that thing off. I didn’t mean to offend anyone with it. People need to look at my actions as a councilor. We have taken a firm and fair road to bring folks together in this matter.”

City Hall seems to have taken notice of the e-mail leaks and bad publicity. A recent warning posted on the city Web site states

“We welcome citizen comments and want to hear from our residents, but please keep in mind that what you write in an e-mail is not private and could show up in the local newspaper.”