A Nova Scotia town councillor’s racist remarks still resonates in Amherst, N.S., weeks later.
Residents say they’re shocked and saddened by George Baker’s choice of words, but want to move forward in a positive manner from the negativity surrounding the incident.
“I don’t necessarily feel he is a racist,” says Amherst resident Lisette Sumbu. “I mean, I feel that the comment was definitely racist, but I feel like he isn’t really taking responsibility for it.”
Baker is currently running for mayor in the upcoming municipal elections this fall.
“I would have liked to have seen him step down, but I would have liked to see him do it on his own merit and not be called out,” says Sumbu.
The incident happened a few weeks ago; Baker was speaking with some of his employees from his company when he made the racial slur.
Some of the residents in the community say they’d like to see something positive come out of the situation.
“I’m optimistic that we’ll find a way to, you know, make some good come of this,” says Amherst town Councillor Robert Bird. “Hopefully we become a better and stronger community as a result of it.”
Councillor Bird says he was shocked and saddened by Baker’s n-word comment. He says he and other residents don’t want the town’s reputation tarnished.
“We’re a caring community, in my opinion,” says Bird. “Obviously we have some issues that we need to deal with.”
Kelsey Jones attended a rally in Amherst a couple days ago to promote diversity in the area. She said it was heartwarming to see such support in the town.
“Awareness is just the first step, there’s still many more things that need to be done,” says Jones. “For example, the code of conduct is one issue that needs to be addressed.”
The province’s municipal affairs minister is considering imposing a code of conduct on all municipal councils in the province.
George Baker did not return CTV’s calls for comment on Thursday.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau
