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Leelanau Anti-Racism resolution approved

Courtesy leelanau.gov

The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to condemn racism in local government.

The county board drafted a resolution after the now-resigned road commissioner Tom Eckerle’s racist comments received national backlash.

But the board ran into more trouble last week during an executive session as some commissioners tried to fit in language about abortion and namecalling of police.

Commissioner Ty Wessell thanked minority community members who helped him craft the new language without the additions some found offensive.

“We had some discussion about the definition of racism but we have it in here and I think that that was important to us," said Wessell. "And I think the word equity was important to us.”

The final resolution called for inclusivity and equity of services to minority residents while acknowledging the negative impact of racism.