WR councilmen spar on CNN over 'cotton field' comment | The Telegraph

WARNER ROBINS — Warner Robins made the national stage Thursday as two councilmen sparred live on television over an exchange at Monday night’s council meeting ending with one telling the other he should be working in a cotton field.

Councilman John Williams said instead of him apologizing to fellow Councilman Daron Lee for being “baited” into his response, Lee should apologize for being belligerent and causing discord at the meeting.

“I’m very appalled and hurt,” Williams said on the program “CNN Newsroom,” a news show that discusses current events from across the nation. “His behavior was unbecoming of a councilman.”

At Monday night’s meeting, the two were engaged in a debate when Lee, who is black, said he wouldn’t be talked to like he worked in a cotton field. That prompted Williams, who is white, to say Lee should be working in one. The cable news network tried to get the two men to sit down face-to-face in its Atlanta newsroom. Lee was present. Williams told CNN officials he couldn’t make it but appeared via satellite.

Williams said he would apologize to Lee if Lee apologized to him. Lee declined.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “I don’t believe I was put in a position where I should have to apologize.”

Monday’s exchange was the latest in a series of issues in which Lee said racism has been displayed in City Hall. During a recess at the Oct. 4 council meeting, he said another councilman, Tom Simms Jr., called him a “boy” during an executive session. Lee’s brother, Warner Robins Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Gary Lee, wrote to city officials earlier this year that he had been told by Williams during a conversation not to touch his skin. Williams attributed that to a rash, saying it made contact painful.

Mayor Chuck Shaheen responded Thursday to the exchange, saying he wished the councilmen would find a resolution to their issue. Because the men answer to the citizens, his hands are tied as to handling it himself.

“I didn’t hear the comments. I only knew there was something heated going on down there,” Shaheen said, which prompted him to call for order in council chambers. “I should have escorted both of them out.”

Shaheen said on one hand, he wishes he could take sides with Lee. But Lee has called him racist, too.

“It saddens me,” he said. “I don’t even know how a Lebanese Catholic can be a racist.”

The matter went national after the Houston County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People wrote to city officials saying if there’s an elected official among them who cannot represent all the city’s residents for any reason, he should resign.

The NAACP was “founded on the beliefs embodied in the Constitution of the United States of America,” the letter states. “We support democracy, dignity and freedom. Our vision is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination.”

In September, Gov. Sonny Perdue sent a letter to Shaheen commenting on recent events that have changed the image of the International City, once known mostly for its good schools and championship Little League teams.

“Warner Robins is developing a new reputation that does not warrant bragging rights and will greatly hamper economic development efforts,” Perdue wrote. “A poor perception of the city’s leadership will have a negative impact on the city’s future. This type of negative attention does not encourage economic development prospects and the city may find it challenging to earn grants and loans in the future.

“Moreover, dysfunctional actions and the ensuing reputation do not fairly represent the people of Warner Robins.”

Perdue, who is from Houston County, offered to link the city with officials from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia “to offer counsel in making the city work more efficiently for its citizens.” The letter was signed by Perdue, state Sen. Cecil Staton and state Reps. Larry O’Neal, Tony Sellier and Willie Talton.

Before the men ended their stint in the national spotlight, Williams was asked about the NAACP’s letter, which seemed to call for his resignation.

He responded: “The people voted me in, and I’ll serve them until they vote me out.”

To contact writer Marlon A. Walker, call 256-9685.