Leavenworth, Kansas County Commissioner Louis Klemp is under fire for racial comments after he told a black woman at a public meeting that he belongs to a “master race.”
Klemp’s comment came as Triveece Penelton was making a road development presentation during the Nov. 13 meeting, FOX 4 of Kansas City reported. He was not happy with the options being presented by her and a colleague.
“I don’t want you to think I am picking on you because we are part of the master race,” Klemp told Penelton. “You have a gap in your teeth. We are part of the master race. Don’t you forget that.”
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer has called on a Leavenworth County commissioner to resign after Kansas County Commissioner Louis Klemp made the racial comments.
“Racial and discriminative language
#ksleg pic.twitter.com/i2ndgoWDcq
— Governor Jeff Colyer (@GovJeffColyer) November 17, 2018
Fellow commissioners Robert Holland and Doug Smith have also called for Klemp to leave.
“In the best interest of the county, he should resign,” Smith said. The commissioners’ page on the county website on Saturday showed photos of Holland and Smith but only a blank space where a photo of Klemp would appear.
In a statement released Friday, the Leavenworth City Commission said it “denounces the use of ‘master race’ or any other language that has historic ties to racism, division and bigotry in any setting at any time.”
Leavenworth City Commission denounces County Commissioner Louis Klemp’s racist comments, asks him to resign. https://t.co/1ysmUBA7nb
— City of Leavenworth (@LeavenworthKS) November 16, 2018
Earlier this year, Robert Holland asked the Kansas Attorney General’s Office if Klemp could be removed from his chairman position. However, he hasn’t received an answer,
Holland said he will make a motion Tuesday to remove Klemp, according to the Leavenworth Times.
Last year, Holland criticized Louis Klemp for remarks made by him in which he said he admired Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
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