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Mayor quits over reply to racist Facebook post about Michelle Obama

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mayor

A mayor in West Virginia has resigned from her position over comments she made on a racist Facebook post about First Lady Michelle Obama.

Clay town council accepted Beverly Whaling’s resignation and said it would act quickly to name a replacement for the remaining three years of her term.

Her resignation came after Pamela Ramsey Taylor – whose racist post Ms Whaling (above) responded to – was placed on leave as director of Clay County Development.

Ms Taylor posted following Republican Donald Trump’s election as president, saying of the incoming First Lady Melania Trump: “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing a Ape in heels.”

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Offence: Ms Whaling responded to the racist post about Michelle Obama (Facebook)
Offence: Ms Whaling responded to the racist post about Michelle Obama (Facebook)

Ms Whaling responded: “Just made my day Pam.”

An online campaign calling for Taylor and Whaling to resign after the post became public drew tens of thousands responses.

Council member Jason Hubbard issued a brief statement condemning the “horrible and indecent” post and said racism and intolerance “isn’t what this community is about”.

He apologised on behalf of the town to Michelle Obama and anyone who was offended.

He said: ”This community is a helpful, hopeful, empathetic and God-loving community.

“Please don’t judge the entire community for one or two individual acts.”

Ms Whaling earlier issued a written apology to news media outlets saying her comment was not intended to be racist.

She stated: ”I was referring to my day being made for change in the White House!

“I am truly sorry for any hard feeling this may have caused! Those who know me know that I’m not in any way racist!”

The uproar occurred as the town of about 500 residents is still trying to recover from severe flooding in late June along the nearby Elk River. Clay County has also been hit by hundreds of lay-offs in the coal industry this decade.

This is not the first time that racist posts from government officials have been made about the Obamas.

Last week in Kentucky, Republican Dan Johnson won state House of Representatives seat from Bullitt County despite a series of posts he put on Facebook depicting president Barack Obama and his wife as monkeys.

And last month in West York, Pennsylvania, the town council accepted the resignation of Republican mayor Charles Wasko after an uproar over racist posts on his Facebook page, including two depicting apes with captions referring to Barack Obama and his family.

Top pic: Facebook