Marysville City Council candidate, Jean Cramer 67, is refusing to back out of the upcoming council race despite pressures from the community regarding outlandish comments she made during an election forum on Thursday night.
Cramer who is one of five residents vying for three council seats in November’s election responded to a question at a city candidates’ forum about attracting foreign-born residents to the community with the statement: “Keep Marysville a white community as much as possible.”
If that wasn’t shocking enough, after the forum, she doubled down on her racist rhetoric by explaining that people of different races shouldn’t get married.
According to USA Today, during a follow-up interview outside of her Marysville home on Friday Cramer continued to spew her bigotry. When the reporter asked if she understood why (her previous comments) might upset her neighbors, Cramer responded: “If there is a biracial marriage in the family, yes.”
Cramer continued: “Because those people don’t know the other side of it,” she said. “For whatever reason, I’ve heard, they love each other, whatever, but there’s also such a thing as remaining single. People don’t necessarily have to get married, and, if they love somebody, love them single. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Cramer’s comments have naturally drawn outrage from her community. Mayor Dan Damman and other local leaders are calling for her to withdraw from the upcoming race.
Kevin Watkins, President of the Port Huron chapter of the NAACP, said he also thought it was appropriate for Cramer to withdraw.
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Both Damman and Watkins agree that the local controversy that has arisen from Cramer’s comments will ultimately spur a more constructive conversation for local residents.
