A predominantly white community in Ohio is urging a public official to resign from his role on the township’s trustee board after he used a racial slur during a discussion about incorporating Juneteenth into the new calendar for the fire department.

Despite being recorded using the offensive epithet, the Scioto Township trustee is adamant about not stepping down from his position.

At an open meeting on Thursday, Nov. 30, Trustee Barton Fannin’s public use of the N-word was addressed. Not only did community members step up to blast the trustee for his remark, but so did his colleagues. All asked him to resign, stating that his comment did not reflect the spirit of the little over 60,000 members of the Pickaway County community and that he should do the right thing.

“I’m begging, absolutely begging Bart Fannin to resign,” said Trustee Chairman Ralph Wolfe, as he sat next to the official at the meeting.

“That is not, and I’ll repeat, that is not who this community is,” Trustee John Maynard also said.

One Black woman present said, “We are mere weeks away from 2024, and the excuse that you did not know better is not valid.”  

When asked to resign, Fannin replied flatly, according to 10 WBNS, “Absolutely not.” He also apologized for what he said, sharing that he learned a lot in the last two weeks since he uttered the word.

The remark was made as the board was deciding on the inclusion of Juneteenth in the new calendar during the public meeting on Nov. 17.

“I did not realize that was a freakin’ federal holiday,” Fannin said.

Wolfe and Maynard attempted to explain Juneteenth to him. Wolfe asked, “You know what it means though, right?”

He said, “They took a n—ger holiday, right?”

Immediately, the chairman said, “Whoa! Don’t say that,” before going into detail about how the celebration is a marker of the de facto end of slavery in the former Confederacy as Union troops moved into Texas after the Civil War ended.

Wolfe is adamant that Fannin must step down.

“Initially, my approach was to seek a private resolution out of respect for our community. However, despite private attempts to encourage Trustee Fannin’s resignation, he remains resistant,” the chairman said, according to NBC 4.

Continuing, “It is crucial to emphasize that no racial or derogatory slur is accepted within the realm of Scioto Township. … I recognize and commend his work ethic, but the use of such language is fundamentally at odds with the values of Scioto Township.”

While Fannin refused to relinquish his role as a public figure, he did release a public apology.

“I used language that was not only disrespectful but extremely hurtful and unacceptable,” Fannin wrote. “My deepest sympathy goes to every individual and family that I have hurt. … I have learned a lot from my actions, and I feel embarrassed by them. I hope over time I can earn this community’s trust once again.”

Nana Watson, president of the Columbus chapter of the NAACP, has weighed in, stating that his use of the word is “disgusting.”

“To hear that word coming from the lips of an elected official is appalling. It’s disgusting,” Watson said. “That community should be horrified that he lives there and has no regard or value for differences in our community.”

The board does have a strategy to remove Fannin, who was elected to the board in 2022.  

To oust the politician from his role, residents must generate a petition with signatures from 15 percent of registered voters in the recent Ohio governor’s race. Following that, the petition will be presented to the Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas.

The court will make the final decision.

Should the community not get all the signatures and the courts not remove him, Fannin will remain in office for two more years. His term expires in 2025.