Seward city council member apologizes for Jewish slur

KENAI (AP) - A Seward City Council member has apologized for making an antisemitic comment during a council work session last week.

Council member Sharyl Seese said she was “embarrassed” and “very sorry” for the comments made June 7, the Peninsula Clarion reported.

The council was discussing possible negotiations over the price of a building. “Maybe we can Jew them down,” Seese said, according to a YouTube stream of the work session, as reported in the Anchorage Daily News.

Council members nervously laughed at the comment and the mayor adjourned the meeting early, public radio station KDLL reported.

“Please accept my sincere apology for what I said last night during my comments at the work session,’’ Seese said in a statement the next day. “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.’’

The comments came during a nearly two-hour work session during which council members and city leaders discussed how to spend $1 million the city is receiving from Norwegian Cruise Line.