Councilwoman Bree Montoya announces resignation after social media comments
By Jason Burger
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NORMAN, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Norman City Councilwoman Bree Montoya announced her resignation at the scheduled City Council meeting Tuesday.
This comes after she posted an apology on her official social media pages Sunday night, following a political argument in Facebook comments months ago where she suggested another person end their life. KOCO 5 has chosen not to share screenshots of those comments.
Montoya announced her resignation at the start of the meeting, and she left the building right after.
“I have served the community since 2008, and I am ready to pursue other opportunities. That being said, I am resigning immediate from Council Ward 3. Thank you, Ward 3. It’s been an honor to serve,” Montoya said at the meeting.
The screenshots of the exchange were shared multiple times on social media.
“I want to apologize for comments I made from my personal Facebook account a few months ago. There are no words to express how awful, inappropriate, and unacceptable my comments were. An exchange between an individual and myself got way out of hand, and in a moment of personal distress, I was completely out of line,” she said in a social media post. “I was immediately disgusted with myself and knew I had crossed an unimaginable line. I sent a direct apology soon after.”
Montoya represents Ward 3. She won her reelection bid for her seat earlier this year.
“I know better, but in that moment I failed. I know to reject the ugliness of certain emotions, and instead reach for kindness and compassion. But in that moment, I let personal distress overtake me. Since the incident, I have sought help to heal old wounds, learned from it, and am working daily to become a better person. To those I’ve hurt and are disappointed in me, I am truly sorry. I humbly ask your forgiveness,” she said.
Montoya resigned on her own, and she was not forced to do so by the city. The city sent KOCO 5 a statement.
“City Council members are not considered traditional employees of the city of Norman. As elected officials, they enjoy the same First Amendment protections as any other citizen. Therefore, city staff cannot take disciplinary action against council members for exercising those rights,” the city said.
KOCO 5 reached out to Montoya but did not hear back.
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