PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Officials say the Portland Business Alliance has asked a board member to leave the organization and another to step down from a leadership position after a racist comment was made at a meeting with city employees.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 77-year-old retired real estate consulting firm president Clayton Hering resigned from the alliance’s government relations committee and from the alliance itself Dec. 22.
People at the Dec. 20 meeting say he made comments that suggested racial and ethnic minorities don’t have the education to participate in business and civic life.
Chown Hardware president David Chown stepped down as leader of the committee where the comment was made after people at the meeting said he didn’t shut down or rebuke Hering.
New alliance CEO and President Andrew Hoan says Hering’s comments are not shared by the Portland Business Alliance or its members.
Hering and Chown have apologized.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
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