We all know these sorts of people. The ones who are never happy, who are always looking for what is wrong. The ones who can’t stop with offhand jabs, or put their sarcasm on hold. When I was a boy and acting like this, eventually my mother would say: “I think it’s time for someone to go to bed.” And so I did, and I needed it.

Methinks someone on the City Council needs some input from her mother. Robin Eschliman, who has been on the council for two short years now, has cemented her position and eased into her role: Insult the city and divide its people. Dismiss those who differ with her.

One thing we can count on from Robin: If you think Lincoln is a great city, if you enjoy living here, she will quickly straighten you out on that. We know from Eschliman that the city’s senior residents are whiners. Its employees: greedy and lazy. Is Lincoln a lousy place to bring your business? Of course: Just ask Robin!

Consider her rhetoric for a moment, and ask yourself: Are these the words of a leader? Better yet: Are these the words of an adult?

In the last budget cycle, Lincoln’s senior community came to the City Council to make the case against shutting down the Belmont Aging Center. After glaring at one witness after another telling stories of how important the center is in their life, Eschliman could not contain herself and felt the need to trivialize their views. She blurted out at one senior: “Does the government owe it to the citizens to raise property taxes to cut toenails?”

Now, Eschliman has taken shots at city employees again, insulting them for no apparent reason. City employees have nothing to do with the mayor’s veto on the recent living wage dispute. Nevermind that. Another chance for Eschliman to take a cheap shot at city employees.

Eschliman criticized the employees for a 45 percent participation rate in a recent United Way campaign. Eschliman suggested that the city coerce city employees to give to United Way, as though we just ignore the poor and underprivileged in our city. “Our city employees expect to receive union wages and benefits, but the majority are not willing to contribute any of their union wages to these non-profit organizations whose budgets run on shoestrings and who are helping ‘the least of these’ in our city.”

Hogwash. A 45 percent participation rate in the United Way campaign is something we are proud of. It is higher than the United Way participation of private-sector employees in the city as a whole. City employees are also cheerful givers to churches, volunteer across the city and give their money to help the underprivileged. One of our groups runs one of the most successful charity benefits in the city: Santa Cop.

Truth be told: Eschliman has absolutely no idea how much money city employees give to charity. But that doesn’t stop her. She has chosen her enemies, and she looks for every opportunity to take cynical shots at us.

And for some unexplainable reason, it is not enough for Eschliman to disagree with a point of view. She has a deep need to go further: to misrepresent viewpoints, to make cheap remarks, to just plain old insult people. It’s not only wrong, but it also has become weird. It’s something most of us give up in childhood, but it characterizes this adult.

Here is my advice to Councilperson Eschliman: Step back from the microphone for a moment. Think about what you say before you say it. Consider the people you scold; reflect on the real people you talk down to. All of us benefit from raising the quality of public debate. You should make it a personal goal to stop lowering it.

Jeff Stump is the president of the Public Association of Government Employees, which represents 493 city employees.