NC politician tenders resignation letter written in Klingon

A councilman from Indian Trail, N.C., might go on to live long and prosper, but it won’t be on the board after he turned in his resignation letter on Thursday -- in Klingon.

David Waddell said he used the language, spoken by a race of warriors on Star Trek, as part of an inside joke with Mayor Michael Alvarez.

But the mayor isn’t laughing.

“It’s an embarrassment for Indian Trail, and it’s an embarrassment for North Carolina,” Alvarez said. He also called the letter childish and unprofessional.

Along with the letter, Waddell included a translation from Bing.

“Folks don’t know what to think of me half the time,” Waddell said. “I might as well have one last laugh.”

He ended the letter by paraphrasing a Klingon battle proverb: “Perhaps today is a good day (to) resign.”

Even though his term on the board expires in December 2015, Waddell’s resignation is effective as of Jan. 31. Town Manager Joe Fivas said the council will figure out how it is going to replace Waddell later this month or in early February.

[The Charlotte Observer]