What's in a name? Plenty, Kunka says

"Everyone pronounced his name the same way for 20 years or so. From now on, I'll just call him Scott."

Pittsburgh City Council President Darlene Harris plans to offer city Finance Director Scott Kunka a public apology for mispronouncing his last name, but said she cannot understand why Kunka waited nearly 20 years to bring it to her attention.

"I would never intentionally mock anyone's ethnics or heritage," she said. "Everyone pronounced his name the same way for 20 years or so. From now on, I'll just call him Scott."

Kunka, who confirmed the correct pronunciation of his name is "koonka," said Harris of Spring Hill intentionally mocked him to the point of ethnic harassment after he corrected her pronunciation of his name during a council meeting on Wednesday.

"It crossed the line in my mind," he said. "She mocked my last name. She mocked my (Ukrainian) heritage, and it's not right."

On Thursday, Kunka sent an e-mail to every member of council, accusing them of "hostility" toward him and "attempts at bullying."

The incident is the latest example of the rocky relationship between council and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office, which appointed Kunka.

Earlier this month, five members of council accused the mayor of deliberately attempting to undermine council's plan for bailing out the city's beleaguered pension funds.

Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak of Beechview said she has experienced problems with people mispronouncing her name and can understand Kunka's frustration. The trick, she said, is to correct people the first time. Rudiak declined to comment on the rift between Harris and Kunka.

"I want to focus on the policy issues, not the sideshow that this has become," she said.