CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) - A long-serving city councilor in eastern Iowa has resigned days after calling Black Lives Matter protesters “a bunch of criminals” at a public meeting, the city said Monday.
Tom Gill, a dentist whose tenure on the Coralville city council dates to 1987, submitted his resignation Friday, the city announced.
That was the same day that Mayor John Lundell issued a statement criticizing Gill for his remarks during a July 14 meeting about potential policing reforms in the city of about 22,000 people.
Lundell said the remarks offended him and other council members and that he’d heard from many residents who found them “very troubling and not reflective” of their concerns. He said the city would move forward with a comprehensive review of racial inequality.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported last week that Gill dismissed requests for changes made by Black Lives Matter supporters, saying the city had an excellent police department that was not racially biased.
“BLM, to me, is a bunch of criminals and I have zero tolerance for criminals,” Gill said. “Eighty percent of the town doesn’t give a damn about what you are talking about - they are fed up.”
Gill, 73, said that he was speaking on behalf constituents who had lived in the city for decades. He said he was upset that protesters had spray-painted graffiti on local landmarks such as Kinnick Stadium and the University of Iowa hospital.
Lundell said Monday that he was grateful for Gill’s 29 years of service on the council, which coincided with “a time of significant growth and development in Coralville.”
Gill served on the council from 1987 to 1997 and then from 2002 until Friday. The city said that it was researching options to fill his seat.
Gill didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
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This story has been corrected to show that Tom Gill’s age is 73.
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