February 28, 2009 10:48 PM UTC

At Least He's Not Your Mayor

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• by: Colorado Pols

Almost comic relief after the week we’ve had, as the Los Angeles Times reports:

The mayor of Los Alamitos said he will resign after coming under fire for an e-mail depicting the White House lawn as a watermelon patch, saying the controversy over racism has made it difficult to lead the city.

Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday saying that he is sorry and will step down as mayor at Monday’s City Council meeting. But he will continue to serve as a council member until his term expires in 2010, city officials said.

The announcement came less than a week after Grose sent the e-mail, which had a picture of the White House lawn planted with watermelons and the title “No Easter egg hunt this year.”

…Local businesswoman and city volunteer Keyanus Price, who is black, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that she was offended by the e-mail she received from the mayor’s personal account Sunday.

“I have had plenty of my share of chicken and watermelon and all those kinds of jokes,” Price said.

“I honestly don’t even understand where he was coming from, sending this to me. As a black person receiving something like this from the city freakin’ mayor — come on.”

Grose did not return phone calls Friday seeking comment, but told the Associated Press last week that he didn’t mean to offend Price and was unaware of the racial stereotype that black people like watermelons.