WINONA, Minn. – Mayoral candidate Ted Hazelton apologized for his Facebook comments that have been perceived as racist. “I never intended to create a division in our community,” Hazelton said in a public letter published in the Winona Daily News. “I will learn from my mistakes. I angered and upset many folks with these comments and posts that were inappropriate. I was wrong of me to do this. I am not racist as some have suggested.” He said he was wrong to say online that people were overreacting in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic: “I was wrong. I take the pandemic very seriously now.” Inconsistencies between Hazelton’s positions over the years on Facebook and bis campaign statements were reported last week by Rachel Mergen of the Daily News. About Mergen’s reporting on his posts on gay and climate issues, Hazelton said he stood by them. “My views on these two topics do not affect my ability to be a good mayor,” he said.
Earlier: Mayor hopeful Hazelton in his own words
Hazelton: “I was wrong”