Key Ham Lake officials expressed outrage and disbelief Saturday at what they consider a racial slur by their mayor.
At odds with his fellow council members who oppose a new city sewer system, Mayor Paul Meunier said during a recent planning meeting, "I feel like a black person in a room with 30 white people."
Meunier, who is white, acknowledged making and repeating the comment on April 16 but said he meant it as a "metaphor for what it means to be a minority in this world. Anybody who knows me knows I'm not a racist. I'm not a bigot."
Meunier said his comment was made to illustrate his frustration of "getting nowhere." It was "not a derogatory statement," he told the Star Tribune. "I even said, 'I'm in the minority here,'" he said.
But some council members, who were among the fewer than a dozen people at the meeting, heard differently.
"At first I was in total shock," said Julie Braastad. "I could not believe that came out of his mouth."
Councilwomen Joey Erikson said that after Meunier made his comment, she turned to him and asked, "What did you say?"
She said Saturday that she knew Meunier was frustrated with conversation concerning a sewer system. But when he repeated his comment, Erikson said, "I felt very uncomfortable. I really didn't know how to take it."