Is it wrong for me to laugh out loud at the fact this moron got himself in trouble?
For of those who don't know, Walt Baker, the CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Association, has been doing everything in his power to ensure we are never allowed to carry our guns in restaurants that serve alcohol.
Racist e-mail lands local businessman in hot water - WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |
Racist e-mail lands local businessman in hot water
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After accusations of racism and calls for him to step down, a prominent local businessman says he's sorry for forwarding a controversial email.
Walt Baker, the CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Association, is at the center of controversy after forwarding an e-mail that compared First Lady Michelle Obama to a chimpanzee.
Metro Councilman Walter Hunt said he started to get phone calls about the e-mail on Friday.
"I don't know what he was thinking," Hunt told News 2, "and the people who got [the e-mail] said I don't think it's funny."
"It was demeaning, insulting, racist -- not only to her, but to every citizen in the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee," said Hunt.
Walt Baker initially brushed off the e-mail controversy, telling the Nashville Scene on Friday it was in good fun, but on Saturday he apologized.
"It was wrong, my initial reaction to the story was wrong," Baker told News 2. "It was stupid and I am alone the responsible party in this."
"I regret my actions and I'm going to regret my actions probably forever," he added.
Baker forwarded the e-mail to several public figures in Nashville, including Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau president Butch Spyridon.
In a statement to News 2, Spyridon said:
"Nashville's hospitality industry has worked tirelessly to create a welcoming environment for our visitors and this behavior discredits the work done by so many. After serious consideration, the [Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau] has made the decision to terminate its contract with Mr. Baker's marketing agency, Mercatus Communications.
Baker tells News 2 that the board of the Tennessee Hospitality Association will meet Monday afternoon to discuss his future as CEO of the group, which lobbies in Nashville and Washington, D.C. on behalf of the state's hospitality industry.
Metro Councilman Walter Hunt says the damage to Tennessee's reputation has already been done, and believes that Baker should step down as CEO.
This isn't the first time Tennesseans and forwarded emails have gotten them in hot water.
Tennessee legislative staffers had to undergo diversity training after Sherri Goforth, administrative assistant to state senator Diane Black (R-Gallatin), made national headlines in June of 2009 for forwarding a picture showing all of the United States presidents.
In the space that would hold President Barack Obama's picture, there were two cartoon white eyes on a black background.