Wis. firefighter union chief out over racial slur

Wis. firefighter union chief out over racial slur
1 day ago
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The head of the Wisconsin firefighters union resigned Tuesday over a racist comment he made the day after Barack Obama became the first African-American elected president.
Rick Gale, who had worked on Obama's Wisconsin campaign, apologized to the union and the public in his resignation letter.
The Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin said Gale's comment was "offensive, inappropriate and racially insensitive and does not reflect the views of our union."
Gale, who headed the union for eight years, admitted in his letter that he used the "single racially charged word" during a private, casual conversation while having drinks with several board members Nov. 5.
"The word has no business in my vocabulary and I should not have used it — not even in private," he wrote.
"In doing so I let myself, the PFFW Executive Board and the entire membership down," he added. "I am sorry. I have asked the PFFW and the public to accept my deepest and sincerest apology."
Gale, a lieutenant with the West Allis Fire Department, said he was also resigning from all the governmental and public boards on which he served.
Those posts include membership on the State of Wisconsin Retirement Board as an appointee of Gov. Jim Doyle, an ardent supporter of Obama throughout the presidential race.
Obama was endorsed for president by the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose general president Harold Schaitberger issued a memo to its Wisconsin affiliates commenting on the resignation by saying Gale's comments were "inexcusable."
"However, this is also an opportunity to restate clearly my fundamental goal of building a union that is free from all forms of bigotry and bias," Schaitberger said.
Gale did not return phone messages left Tuesday at his home and office by The Associated Press seeking comment.

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