Councilman apologizes for offensive comment

SPRINGDALE — Kevin Flores said Wednesday that he wasn’t offended by Springdale City Council member Rick Evans referring to him as “some little Mexican lawyer.”

Flores, an attorney, has said on social media that he intends to run against Evans for his Ward 2 seat in November. Flores said the ward in the southeast part of the city is very diverse.

“The words didn’t hurt me,” Flores said Wednesday. “They’re just words. I’m disappointed he felt comfortable saying it in City Hall — of all places.”

Evans’ characterization was heard on a City Council livestream while he was speaking to fellow council member Brian Powell before the Tuesday meeting.

Powell made no response to Evans in the conversation, the recording shows. But Powell later laid blame for the pandemic on “Chinese communists.”

“It was a severe lapse in judgment and not at all a reflection of who I am or how I view Mr. Flores or the Hispanic community in Northwest Arkansas,” Evans said Wednesday of his comments before the meeting.

Evans said he had reached out publicly to Flores and his family to apologize and also apologized to his fellow council members, the mayor and residents.

“There’s no excuse for my actions last night, and there are not enough words to express how truly sorry I am,” he said.

Evans, 62, a Springdale native, has served as a member of the City Council for 22 years.

Flores is a naturalized citizen whose family moved to the United States from El Salvador in 1991 to escape civil war, he said. His family moved to Springdale in 1995. He is a graduate of Springdale High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a law degree from the University of Arkansas. He also is a veteran of the Marine Corps.

Community members took to social media Tuesday night and Wednesday to express anger over the comments.

Margarita Solorzano, the executive director of the Hispanic Women’s Organization of Arkansas, said Wednesday that the comments were a reflection of the pervasive culture in Northwest Arkansas.

“It’s disturbing to see how comfortable people are in disrespecting others,” Solorzano agreed. “And they talk that way normally. They did not know they had shown real disrespect. Some of the old ways aren’t gone.”