Kennesaw mayor issues apology, offers to attend sensitivity training after remarks to employee

Kennesaw Mayor Derek Easterling has issued an apology for remarks made to the city’s zoning administrator and volunteered to attend sensitivity training.

A statement released by the city on July 2 said the mayor made an “unintentional comment” that offended some city employees attending a Dunkin’ Donuts grand opening during the final week of June.

The mayor confirmed the remarks were made to Zoning Administrator Darryl Simmons, who is black, but insisted his comments were misinterpreted by those present.

“I made a comment and asked one of the guys to come stand next to me, a member of our staff, and unfortunately, a comment I made about his shirt matching the costume doughnut was misperceived,” Easterling said. “The very next morning, I was made aware that my comments needed clarification… It was unintentional. It was an innocent comment that was perceived differently, and it was a mistake.”

Photos from the event posted to the city’s Facebook show Simmons standing behind Easterling and someone wearing a chocolate-covered doughnut costume with sprinkles.

Speaking by phone on the evening of July 2, Easterling said he was referring to the city staffer’s shirt, which he said resembled the sprinkles on the chocolate doughnut.

“I thought nothing else of it,” he said. “It was an innocent comment, but someone else on staff heard the comment and perceived it differently.”

The mayor said he and Simmons have a great relationship, both personally and professionally, and discussed the incident the following day.

“The apology was made for the way it was perceived,” Easterling said. “I was very upset by it, that it hurt Darryl, and he accepted my apology. I believe Darryl knows that it was not intentional.”

A city spokeswoman said no complaints have been filed by Simmons or any other employee, and said the city manager’s office and Kennesaw’s human resources director quickly called an emergency meeting with some of the city’s staff to address the concerns, where Easterling apologized.

“It was nothing intentional, nothing malicious, nothing racially intended,” said Jolene Butts Freeman, the city’s communications director. “The employee accepted his apology and that was the end of it.”

Easterling said he is “all about inclusiveness and diversity.”

“It was not a racist comment,” he said. “Perception changes a lot of things and that’s not the way I want to be perceived and it’s not what was intended.”

Kennesaw Councilman Chris Henderson said he and his colleagues volunteered to attend sensitivity training with Easterling after the mayor offered to go.

Attempts to reach Simmons for comment by press time on July 2 were unsuccessful.