The mayor of a West Virginia town has resigned and issued an apology for her response to a racist post on Facebook about first lady Michelle Obama.
Clay Mayor Beverly Whaling says her comment wasn’t intended to be racist.
Clay County Development Corp. director Pamela Ramsey Taylor made the post following Republican Donald Trump’s election as president, saying: “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.”
Whaling responded: “Just made my day Pam.”
Whaling said in a statement sent to news media that she was referencing the change in the White House. She says she isn’t racist.
The post, first reported by WSAZ-TV, has caused a backlash and prompted calls for Taylor and Mayor Whaling to be fired. The post was shared hundreds of times on social media before it was deleted. The Facebook pages of Taylor and Whaling couldn’t be found Monday.
More than 150,000 people signed an online petition calling for Whaling’s termination. Taylor told WCHS-TV on Monday night that she was placed on leave.
Clay, W VA has a population of less than 500 residents. Taylor was the director of a local government non-profit that receives federal funding.