Mayor Tom Rowland called it the "elephant in the room" as members of the NAACP gathered to ask Charlie McKenzie to step down.
Bradley County's NAACP president Lawrence Armstrong said he tried to contact McKenzie when he heard he was being accused of making racial slurs while working as a Sheriff's deputy.
"I've called, I've knocked, at the beginning. No response," said Armstrong.
He said they were frustrated that McKenzie wouldn't say whether or not he actually made the comments.
McKenzie agreed to meet privately with Armstrong, the mayor, and one other council member after the city council meeting.
According to the Tennessee Open meetings law, if there are two or more governing bodies in a meeting, that should be open to the public.
We wanted to sit in on that meeting, but McKenzie refused to start until all media left the room.
Armstrong said nothing was solved in that meeting.
"If he can't defend the allegations against him, we have no other choice but to move forward as the Bradley County NAACP to ask for his removal and start the process and have him removed," Armstrong said.
Armstrong acknowledged that the email that tipped the media to the allegations against McKenzie was not fromt he NAACP.
In that email there were also accusations against Sheriff Jim Ruth.
"It did not come from the NAACP and yes it was from a bogus email address," Armstrong said.
Now Armstrong is starting a petition to have McKenzie removed from the council and he is asking all district one voters to sign.
