During city council meeting, Edwardsville mayor again apologizes for blackface photo

Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton, who also is seeking a state Senate seat, apologized at a City Council meeting Tuesday night for a photo of him in blackface, taken at a Halloween party about a decade ago when he was dressed as a rapper.

He made the comments in a brief statement at Tuesday's meeting, which was attended by a handful of people from Action Metro East holding signs protesting against Patton. None of those protesters spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting but sat in the front row.

"There was no racial intent of that. It was simply a costume," Patton said. "Those who know me know I'm not that type of person, and I never will be. I do not want to demean anyone ever in my life. I really sincerely regret that. I have read recently about the sensitivities with blackface and dressing in that style. I did not have that clear in my mind when I dressed that night, and I've hurt some people, and for that, I regret that and I apologize to all of them sincerely."

Patton, as a third-party candidate, is seeking the seat in the 56th Senate District held by Democrat Bill Haine. Haine is not running for re-election.

This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 10:45 AM with the headline "During city council meeting, Edwardsville mayor again apologizes for blackface photo."