OLEAN, N.Y. — An Olean Common Council member is lighting up some controversy.
Alderman Kevin Dougherty lit up on Saturday, 4-20, on YouTube. You can see him smoking out of a bong.
Recreational use of marijuana is illegal both on the state and federal level.
Dougherty says he sees what he did as an act of "civil disobedience" and that he wanted to show his support for legalization.
"Martin Luther King never ... you know what I mean?" Dougherty said. "Guys like Martin Luther King, who were trying to make a stand for things that were injustices in his society, I'm not saying that my cause is any greater, is greater than his, but you know, it's one of those ... it's one of those topics, you know, that people just waited for laws to change on their own, they might never change."
He admits he's hearing from people not in support of the video.
"I've been getting a lot of criticism for that. I'm an actions-speak-louder-than-words kind of guy," he said.
We also heard from the Olean Common Council president Jon Crawford, who says he doesn't support the video because it doesn't send the right message and added that marijuana is still illegal.
Crawford says the council will address the video in a couple weeks, after several elected officials in Olean return from vacation.
But there's more to the video that's also drawing controversy.
Dougherty jokes about the recent burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
"If I was an insurance adjuster, I'd be like, 'It's not a total loss, just frame out some new windows and you have a new Notre Dame,' " he said.
In the video, there's someone behind the camera who we don't see but can hear.
After that person makes a comment about Dougherty's eyes closing, Dougherty's response could be seen as racist.
"Konnichiwa," he said, which is a Japanese greeting.
When 2 On Your Side spoke to Dougherty by phone, he says he wasn't trying to be racist or hurtful. He says he has a darker sense of humor.
Dougherty has been an alderman since 2016 -- his term expires at the end of the year, and Dougherty says he does plan on running for re-election as a registered Republican.
2 On Your Side wants to know whether Olean Police are investigating the apparent marijuana possession, but we have not heard back from police.
MORE ON WGRZ.COM