Hamilton City councillor Siggi Henry has apologised after she was caught parking her signed campaign car in a disabled parking spot.
Henry's car was left halfway in the disabled park at the Hamilton Gardens while she attended a council event. The back of her car was captured protruding out onto the road.
The councillor has since come under fire for the "questionable" park. She issued an apology via her Facebook account on Monday.
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"Today, I decided against my better judgement to park in a questionable manner over a disabled car park. There is no excuse for myself, an able-bodied person, to park in a mobility car park that I am not entitled to," Henry wrote.
"I would like to sincerely apologise to anyone I have offended and also the constituents I represent. Most importantly, the disabled people that have a right to park in these parks. There is absolutely no excuse that can explain away my choice to park the way I did."
Fellow Hamilton City councillor referred to the incident as "disrespectful stupidity" on his Facebook page.
"Some of us are working hard to ensure that support for disabled facilities and services is improved in Hamilton... and she goes and undoes the good work," he wrote.
Council candidate Matthew Small also shared the photo on his Facebook, reminding locals of his "policy regarding residents that park in a mobility car park without a permit".
Henry's apology has received mixed responses, with many linking the incident back to a number of her other public blunders.
"Good start, next could you clarify what exactly you meant in this post from 2016?" one man commented alongside a screenshot of a post Henry made in 2016, claiming the measles vaccine "is much worse" than the disease.
Earlier this year, Henry apologised after wearing an anti-vaccine T-shirt to an autism awareness event. In a 2017 council debate, the councillor likened obese people to a health hazard as they can fall on others.
While many criticised Henry as "brazen", "self-entitled" and for only apologising because she was caught, others thanked her for the apology.
"We all do stuff by mistake now and then. I know you work extremely hard for the Hamilton people, so please don't beat yourself up too much," one person wrote.
The blunder comes less than a month before the local election, in which Henry is standing for council again.
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