Bill Clayton said during his apology at Tuesday night's council
meeting that he was not aware of Taisha Walker's race when he did a
telephone interview about a tax increase proposal last August.
After five months of closed-door discussions and open bickering,
Rapid City council members said they hoped they set the record straight
by voting to release a report that details the investigation into
alleged racists remarks made by one of their own.
Bill Clayton,
the council member at the center of the investigation, spoke openly
Tuesday night about the comments he made to Taisha Walker, a black
reporter for KOTA television.
"I apologize to the KOTA reporter," Clayton said, before apologizing to the council, city staff and the citizens of Rapid City.
The
18-page report released after a 6-0 vote Tuesday night contains 10
pages of witness testimony and legal analysis compiled by the city
attorney, four pages of the city council code of conduct, a one-page
formal complaint detailing Clayton's alleged comments at a Wingnuts
luncheon, Walker's two-page complaint and a cover page.
The report is available on the city's website and at rapidcityjournal.com.
But the report also accuses Clayton of making threatening comments toward a fellow council member during a conservative rally.
Three people, including two City officials lodged formal complaints
against alderman Bill Clayton, accusing him of making threats about
another council member, Charity Doyle.
"I didn't know them well. They were not political supporters of mine, to put it mildly," Doyle said.
Clayton has denied the allegations, which include that he encouraged
supporters to harass and drive Doyle from office. One complaint also
alleged that Clayton put his hand to his head mimicking a gun when
referencing Doyle during a luncheon speech.
Doyle, who is married to Tim Doyle a Rapid City police officer
wounded in a shootout that killed two other officers, says she found
that report especially upsetting.
"I've asked myself if it would've disturbed me as much had August second not happened, and I don't know," Doyle said.
Doyle, who's been on the council for the past year and a half says
she expected some tension with Clayton even before he was sworn into
office last July.
"I was taking numerous complaints from staff members and people
around the community about how Clayton was coming in to put me in my
place," Doyle said.
In
the report, City Attorney Joel Landeen summarizes interviews with eight
witnesses. The majority of the witness accounts are devoted to the Aug.
28, 2012, incident at a luncheon held by the Wingnuts, a local
political group. Three co-signers of the complaint say Clayton spoke
harshly about fellow council member Charity Doyle at the meeting.
Little
of Landeen's analysis is devoted to Walker. According to the report,
Walker never wanted the public to know that Clayton said to her, "Should
we deport you back to Kenya with Obama?"
"Ms. Walker is not
interested in Alderman Clayton performing a public mea culpa in front of
the Council and she would prefer not to make this matter public," the
report says.
Clayton ended up making a very public apology, though
he denied using the phrase "back to Kenya" and said he was unaware
Walker was black when he made the comments in a telephone interview. He
said he had once believed "birther" positions about President Barack
Obama but has since changed his mind about whether he is a citizen of
the United States.
"I am not the same person I was five months ago in terms of my political know-how, what I bring to this dais," Clayton said.
Before the apology Tuesday, several citizens at the council meeting called for various council members to step down.
Ward
4 Council Member Amanda Scott read a statement from former Council
Member Lloyd LaCroix, who called for Clayton to step down, saying
Clayton's comments to Walker were "meant to be hurtful."
Walker said Clayton questioned her citizenship and suggested she
be deported to Kenya.
Clayton questioned the accuracy of the quote and
its context but took responsibility on Tuesday for causing the
controversy.