A Michigan official is resisting calls to resign from his local post after using racist rhetoric to describe black people.
Leelanau County Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle, who is a Republican, has faced the ire of his colleagues and the public after using the N-word during a meeting on Monday when talking about the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Well, this whole thing is because of them n—–s in Detroit,” Eckerle, who is white, said, according to the Leelanau Enterprise.
Not only did Eckerle refuse calls to step down, but he also said that he has no regrets about using the racial slur and will continue to do so if he’d like.
“I can say anything I want,” Eckerle continued during the meeting. “Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.”
On Thursday, Eckerle backed his language again while speaking to Interlochen Public Radio.
“No, I don’t regret calling it a n—–,” Eckerle said. “A n—– is a n—– is a n—–. That’s not a person whatsoever.”
He added it was the same as saying he was German or “Polack.”
Eckerle said he does not believe it is racism.
The commission’s chairman, Bob Joyce, told the Detroit News that he and three other commissioners were giving Eckerle a letter on Thursday to resign.
“We do not tolerate that,” Joyce said. “That’s not who we are.”
Eckerle’s rhetoric has also caught the attention of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who signed an order this week declaring racism as a public health crisis in Michigan.
“Gov. Whitmer believes that Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle must resign immediately,” Tiffany Brown, a spokeswoman for Whitmer told the Detroit News in an email on Friday. “The governor has been very clear — there’s no place for hate and racism in Michigan.”
Republican state Rep. Jack O’Malley, who represents Leelanau County, also said Eckerle should step down.
In a Facebook post, O’Malley called his comments “beyond stupid.”
“In today’s emotional and highly charged climate, to say what he said is ignorant and has no place, especially as an elected official,” O’Malley wrote.
