WATERLOO - Carolyn Cole has authored a pointed e-mail criticizing fellow council member Steve Schmitt for his comments during recent public meetings and his voting record.

The message revealed a deep rift among the Waterloo's elected leaders and prompted Mayor Tim Hurley to suggest he and the council were "bordering on dysfunctional."

Cole's e-mail, obtained by The Courier after being sent Wednesday to Schmitt, other council members and the mayor, said Schmitt should apologize for comments he made Monday about city property taxes and includes a number of unflattering comments about his actions on the council.

"Look in the mirror in the morning when you're styling your hair and ask yourself, 'Why do I vote no when everybody else votes yes?'" Cole said. "'Will this help me sell myself as a "man of the people?"' Trust me, it won't."

Councilman Reggie Schmitt delivered a follow-up e-mail, accusing Steve Schmitt of engaging in "self-serving discourses" during council meetings.

"Your voting record coupled with your 'do nothing now' explanations have earned you the public nickname MAL - as in Moron-At-Large - that's what I hear on Tuesdays after one of your Monday night performances," Schmitt's e-mail said. "You've been on council for 13 months and your current persona is that you know less now than when you were sworn in; only you can change that."

Steve Schmitt said he was taken aback by the e-mails and their tone.

"I'm just really kind of mystified and mortified by Carolyn's comments," Schmitt said Friday, adding that he did not reply to Cole's or Reggie Schmitt's e-mails.

Cole was a vocal supporter and consultant for Dave Buck, whom Steve Schmitt defeated in a run-off election to win the at-large council seat in November 2007.

"She's made snide comments to me during the past year, and I've just kind of ignored those," Steve Schmitt said. "I really have no idea where she's coming from. ? If Reggie wants to get into junior high name-calling, I'm not going to do that."

Reached Friday, Cole said she stands by her comments.

"I am astonished that the councilman would take this public by having all of his friends send copies of the e-mail to The Courier rather than contacting me directly," she said.

Reggie Schmitt said the e-mails were not intended to be public and said the situation was prompted by "13 months of frustration" since Steve Schmitt took office.

"Partisan politics have no business at the council level, and that's what I believe he's been trying to bring," he said.

At the end of the Jan. 20 council meeting, Steve Schmitt said he didn't believe residential property tax bills had been going down even though the tax rate had decreased. On Monday, he brought the matter up again, citing a Courier editorial about how local government leaders can play a "shell game" with the tax system by claiming to lower taxes when only the rate - but not actual taxes collected - go down.

Cole's e-mail said Schmitt "crossed the line."

"You impugned our integrity, hard work and genuine desire to do the right thing, not to mention our city staff," she wrote. "Your anti-government proselytizing during oral presentations, which are designed for the public, is tiresome and inappropriate.

"Because you have already told people in the community that you are planning to run for mayor, it is blatantly obvious that you are campaigning from your council chair, another inexcusable and inappropriate action."

Steve Schmitt said he has not ruled out a run for mayor in the future but has not made any decision on whether to run this year.

"In her letter she talks about me impugning the integrity of other council people and other city staff," he said. "I said nothing about any of the other council people ? and I never said anything about the city staff."

Hurley responded to the e-mails with one of his own, urging them to take their differences "off line" and offered to set up a conflict resolution session if necessary.

"I expect and encourage you to have civil discussions about your differences of opinion or questions about any agenda item during a public meeting," Hurley wrote. "Personal or purely political differences belong in another venue."

On Friday, Hurley said he was working individually and collectively with council members to get them "back on track and doing the people's business."

"I'm obviously not happy with the lack of teamwork and civility with our council," he said. "But I also understand this happens in families, in groups and in organizations.

"Things will be said that anger other members. There's an emotional quotient here," Hurley added. "By my message to them is to deal with it."

Contact Tim Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or tim.jamison@wcfcourier.com.