Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

The Grand Junction City Council voted unanimously May 21 to censure Council member Jason Nguyen, following public outcry over a social media comment that appeared to advocate for a boycott of local businesses opposed to a downtown transportation project.

Nguyen issued a formal apology during the council meeting and seconded the motion to censure himself.

The controversy stemmed from a Facebook comment by Nguyen, reported by The Business Times, in which he suggested compiling a list of businesses that opposed the now-defeated Fourth and Fifth Streets pilot project.

“I’d suggest anyone who cares about safety not spend money at these places,” Nguyen wrote.

The comment triggered widespread criticism from the business community and the public, with calls for his resignation circulating online.

At the meeting, Nguyen addressed the issue during his council board report, using the time to read a prepared apology.

“First and foremost, I particularly regret what I said. It is not the right message regardless of whether or not I’m functioning as a council person or private citizen,” Nguyen said. “Politics is at its worst when everything is treated as a zero-sum game … I briefly lost sight of that reality. I’m truly sorry for my comment and the false divisions it created. I will be better in the future, and I look forward to continuing to work for a stronger community and downtown.”

City Council then heard public comment and engaged in discussion about a resolution titled “A Resolution Regarding Communication and City Council Conduct,” which formally censured Nguyen for his remarks. The resolution acknowledged his “intemperate” language, affirmed his expression of regret and urged the public to accept his apology.

During the meeting, City Attorney John Shaver urged the council to adopt the resolution “as presented.”

Council member Robert Ballard made the motion to adopt the resolution, which Nguyen seconded. The measure passed unanimously, 7–0.

Before the vote, several community members spoke during public comment, including Niki Hunn, owner of Hunn Jewelers, one of the businesses that had publicly opposed the Fourth and Fifth Street pilot program. Hunn expressed concern about Nguyen’s remarks, which she felt targeted her for exercising her First Amendment rights.

“I’m actually one of the business owners that was asked to be boycotted, because I spoke up about Fourth and Fifth,” said Hunn, who then cited a Daily Sentinel poll in which 70.6 percent of respondents supported the council’s decision to end the pilot.

“Thank you to the four council members,” Hunn said, referring to those who voted to reverse the pilot program’s changes to Fourth and Fifth Streets. “No thank you to Jason for speaking out about my business. I don’t appreciate you.”

Former Mayor Abe Herman also addressed the council and emphasized the importance of accountability while commending Nguyen’s response.

“Jason’s response to this was a model,” Herman said. “He’s apologized; he’s owned it … What you do on council is greater than any one of us that comes and goes. And at this moment, showing grace and understanding for the mistakes that all of us have made online is a big thing to do.”

Council member Ben Van Dyke echoed those sentiments, urging accountability and grace.

“I felt very much like the downtown businesses when I initially heard this,” Van Dyke said. “But stepping back and recognizing how passionate Council member Nguyen is about this project and our community… sometimes we have to give our neighbors a little bit of leniency.”

Nguyen further addressed the issue during a nearly seven-minute segment on the Better Together podcast, where he admitted the post was written in a moment of frustration and as “retribution,” following the council’s vote to remove the bike lanes.