Georgia councilman who said interracial marriage makes his ‘blood boil’ resigns

A Georgia city councilman who decried interracial marriage resigned this week ahead of a recall election next month.

Hoschton City Councilman Jim Cleveland said he opted to resign instead of going through a recall election and giving his opponents the pleasure of saying they voted him out, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Cleveland’s resignation comes months after an investigation by the news outlet into allegations that an African American candidate’s bid for city administrator was derailed by Mayor Theresa Kenerly because of his race, which prompted Cleveland to voice support for Kenerly and defend her actions.

“I understood where she was coming from,” he said. “I understand Theresa saying that, simply because we’re not Atlanta. Things are different here than they are 50 miles down the road.”

Cleveland added that he was against interracial marriage, and that seeing whites and blacks on television “makes my blood boil because that’s just not the way a Christian is supposed to live,” according to the Journal-Constitution.

Once it became clear that Cleveland would not resign from his post as councilman amid the controversy, a campaign was organized by local residents to have a recall election, which was set for next month.

Cleveland told the news outlet that not only is he stepping down, but he is also leaving the small Georgia town altogether.

“There is a lot on the plate for Hoschton and some of it is not going to go well,” he said. “It’s not going to be a good place for me to live.”

The news outlet noted that he did not provide specific examples as to what he is referencing.