Escanaba Mayor Marc Tall, as well as three other Escanaba City Council members, issued a joint statement on Thursday in response to comments made one week ago by fellow council member Ralph Blasier.
At last Thursday’s council meeting, during a discussion on the upcoming 4th of July celebrations, Blasier suggested that anyone who protests violently should be shot in the legs and left to crawl to the hospital for treatment.
Blasier, a retired doctor, later apologized for the comments, and said that he was joking about actually shooting someone. But that has not stopped hundreds of people from signing an on-line petition calling for Blasier to be recalled from his council seat. Others have called on the city to remove Blasier from office.
In Thursday’s response, Tall and three other council members, said that Blasier’s comments do not represent the City of Escanaba, and they do not agree with those comments. However, Tall said that he does not have the power to remove Blasier from office, nor does he have the authority to force him to resign.
They also defended Blasier, saying that while the comments were “foolish, thoughtless, and in horrible taste”, they also went the public to know that there was “absolutely no racial reference” to what Blasier said.
The entire statement from Mayor Tall, and Councilmembers Peggy O’Connell, Tyler Dubord, and Karen Moore, is posted below:
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