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Channeling the cranky energy of comic Denis Leary has landed a top Frederick city official in the hot seat, leading him to resign his position as a columnist for an opinion and commentary website dedicated to Frederick County issues.

Rick Weldon, executive assistant to Frederick Mayor Randy McClement, was trying to have fun in his May 31 column titled "Is it Just Me?" on thetentacle.com, but it offended some readers.

Specifically, complaints targeted Weldon's characterization of recycling proponents as "tree-hugging dipsticks."

"Is it just me, or are you also sick of tree-hugging dipsticks who seem determined to alter our way of life by recycling, reusing, and reducing our consumption to the point that we're as miserable and self-absorbed as they are?" Weldon wrote in the column.

That comment did not go over well with the anti-incinerator crowd. One of its leaders, Caroline Eader of Frederick, pointed out Weldon's statement an e-mail chain and made a few jokes herself in an e-mail titled "tree-hugging dipsticks?"

"To those of you who have thought that Rick Weldon is a political chameleon, at least on this subject we now know where he stands," Eader wrote.

She asked those reading to get involved in local "green" activities, provided they were not too busy "hugging a tree" or "too self-absorbed" to volunteer.

Eader, among others, also complained to McClement about the column in an e-mail. McClement did not return a call for comment by The Gazette's deadline.

The fallout so rattled Weldon that he gave up the freelance gig for thetentacle.com that he has held sporadically since January 2003.

Weldon refused to talk about it, and said his public statement on thetentacle.com and his comments on his Facebook page are sufficient.

His statement on thetentacle.com, posted Monday, reads: "In a column last week, I attempted to offer several humorous politically incorrect observations. One, maybe more than one, of those observations have caused a level of hurt and disappointment that goes far beyond my intent. Were I nothing more than an opinion writer, I could sit back and enjoy the fact that my observations have sparked public debate, which is essentially the point of an opinion column.

"Unfortunately, I am more than just an occasional opinion writer; I am also an employee of The City of Frederick and a senior policy advisor to the Mayor. In that capacity, my words and actions carry weight far beyond the original intent. In the case at hand, my words have offended both citizens and elected officials whose passionate advocacy was mocked by my sarcasm."

Weldon wrote on his Facebook page that Monday was a "sad day."

"Today was a valuable learning experience, but the cost of the lesson was very high. Maybe a little too high, but time will tell. Glad I have an Amy [his wife] to make it all seem better," he wrote.

About 20 of Weldon's supporters responded to his Facebook post to voice their love of Weldon and the right of Americans to free speech. Most were irate at the people who took offense.

John Ashbury, publisher of thetentacle.com, said he is annoyed that Weldon's detractors would drive him to resign.

"I don't think anything's wrong [with Weldon's column]," Ashbury said in an interview. "His tongue was so far in his cheek when he wrote it, you can tell it's satire. So many people have very thin skin, they can't allow anyone to brush up against them."

Ashbury said he received no letters, e-mails or phone calls to complain about Weldon's column, but has received feedback on the resignation statement he posted from people who object to Weldon leaving.

Ashbury said the e-mails voiced concern that the explanation for Weldon's resignation isn't thorough enough. "People obviously complained to the mayor," Ashbury said.

Alderman Michael O'Connor (D), a strong recycling advocate, said he is familiar enough with Weldon's writing to see the joke and didn't take it personally.

But he acknowledged that Weldon's position with the city means his words will be viewed differently from when he was an elected official in the Maryland House of Delegates.

"He intended it one way and people took it another way," O'Connor said. "It's a dicey proposition in his position. As an elected official, you are aware you will be judged by the words out of your mouth, as an executive in an organization, you will be judged through a different lens."

O'Connor said that several people approached him as he was setting up recycling bins at the Festival of the Arts in Frederick last weekend, and asked him his opinion of Weldon's column.

"My sense is that they were disappointed," O'Connor said. "And while I recognize that people who know someone's writing style, or the person, can look and see the tongue in cheek on certain things, but not everybody knows everything. ... The message received is the message sent. ... It's part of your responsibility to always be considering impact of your words and what they mean."

Eader said later that Weldon went a bit overboard in his reaction to criticism. "It seems a bit melodramatic for Rick Weldon to quit writing his column. How about him learning and growing from this experience instead of quitting?" she said in an e-mail.

E-mail Katherine Heerbrandt at kheerbrandt@gazette.net.