Salty official e-mail offends St. Paul man

Some might call it a tempest in a shot glass.

A scurrilous reply by a St. Paul City Council member to a critic's ornery e-mail last week has generated a bit of a buzz.

To be sure, bar owner Mike Costello and Council Member Dave Thune have traded insults before.

It reached a new level last week, said Costello, who was incensed to receive an e-mail with the f-bomb in it from Thune's city account.

The message Costello sent: "after what i saw in st paul tonight, with your non violent protestors, you need to resign, you are a disgrace to the city of st paul."

To which Thune replied: "[expletive] you you little p." Yeah, just "p."

The council member said Thursday he probably shouldn't have sent the profane e-mail, but he wasn't apologetic. "I sometimes type these things and delete; this one I didn't," he said. "He yanked my chain, and I responded to him.

That's no excuse for bad words from City Hall, said Costello. "It's a disgrace to the city," he said. "I've gotten a lot of calls of support."

Don't be surprised if he mounts a campaign for Thune's ouster.

Thune's no stranger to colorful phrasing. Last April he said he wanted to spare downtown residents the sight of "puking Republican lobbyists" in the streets during the Republican National Convention.

Said Thune: "I don't mince words."