Instead of standing behind their state senator's decision to sponsor a bill that would allow religious business owners to refuse service to gay people, it sounds like residents of Walla Walla are pissed at Mike Hewitt, for sponsoring a crappy, offensive bill and letting his staffer defend it crappily and offensively to voters and reporters.

From the Walla Walla Union Bulletin (sic throughout):

In a letter to Hewitt also sent to the Union-Bulletin, Michael Mettler, creative director of Achieva Marketing, called Hewitt’s co-sponsorship of SB 5927 and “the public relations disaster spewing out of your office” an “embarrassment for all of us who live in Walla Walla.”

“...(Y)our support of the bill is short sighted in that the implications effect not only your close-minded sphere of cohorts, but also the tourism industry in Walla Walla upon which people like me (and thousands of your constituents in the Walla Walla Valley) reply upon to make a living,” Mettler wrote.

Calls, texts and emails sent to Hewitt this morning by the Union-Bulletin were not returned.

Mettler later states, "this is certainly the loudest story online and in print this week about Walla Walla, and perfectly timed for Spring Release and the Balloon Stampede!" (Holy crap, that really is a a stampede's worth of balloons!)

For the record: Walla Walla is lovely, Mike Hewitt is a dolt, and hopefully his furious constituents—many of whose paychecks rely on tourist dollars—can get a real apology from his office sometime soon. I'd like to say "it's not your fault, Walla Walla!" But y'all voted him in. Now just vote him out, and we can all have a big gay wine and onions party to celebrate.