County Councilman Brown resigns after calling protesters ‘uneducated voters’

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) — After several city leaders and nearly 10,000 community members have called for the resignation of County Councilman Larry Brown, he has submitted his letter of resignation.

During a County Council meeting Thursday, June 18, District Four Council Member Larry Brown brought up the ongoing protests downtown.

Brown, frustrated with letters from constituents threatening to vote current council members from office, responded with this strong statement:

"As uneducated as they are, obviously, on local government, they do vote. And, unfortunately, they also breed. But um, they do vote, and they're gonna be an uneducated voter."

That evening, Fort Wayne's NBC spoke with Brown who said, "I offer my sincere apology. It was a mistake and inappropriate. It's out there, but I can't pull it back. I wish I could, but I can't."

READ MORE: Allen County Councilman Brown talks with Fort Wayne’s NBC News about controversial comments

The next day, City Councilman At-Large Glynn Hines and other community leaders held a press conference that included calls for the resignation of Brown and to push for more diversity in local leadership.

Concerned community members started a Change.Org petition calling for him to step down that has garnered over 9,500 signatures.

Allen County's Republican Party chairman Steve Shine says Brown "made the right choice" in resigning from his post.

Shine said he had spoken with Brown about the matter multiple times, suggesting that a resignation was warranted because of "the divisiveness" of the comments.

"I hope now we can heal and there will be other steps taken by our community to make sure we are an inclusive community and that we watch what we say," Shine said.

A GOP caucus of precinct committee men and women will choose someone to fill the open Allen County Council Fourth District seat. That will happen within 30 days.

This is a developing report. Stay tuned for updates.