Leavenworth County Commissioner who says he’s part of the ‘master race’ must resign

Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp has no business holding public office. After making comments about “the master race” to an African-American woman, Klemp must resign.

His stop-you-in-your-tracks, offensive remarks made headlines across the country, instantly relegating Leavenworth to national embarrassment status.

The Leavenworth County Republican Party selected Klemp to replace an ailing commissioner last year, and now the local GOP should demand that he step down. His appointment expires in January, but Klemp should do the party, the county and the state of Kansas a favor and resign immediately.

One more day with Klemp on the county commission is too many.

So far, the controversial commissioner has been defiant. He has refused to comment on his remarks and had not offered a public apology as of Friday afternoon. He has shown no inclination to do the right thing, and his track record offers little reason to believe that he will voluntarily correct this wrong.

He referred to the Confederate States of America at a public board meeting that drew scrutiny in December 2017. This week, Klemp addressed city planning consultant Triveece Penelton as she shared a land use analysis with government officials.

“I don’t want you to think I’m picking on you, because, we’re part of the master race,” Klemp said to Penelton. “You know you got a gap in your teeth, you’re the masters, don’t ever forget that.”

Leavenworth County Administrator Mark Loughry said in a written statement that Klemp has repeatedly suggested that “those with a gap in their front teeth are members of the master race.” Loughry said that the commissioner’s word choice was ill-advised but not racist in this instance.

It’s hard to imagine, though, how the phrase “master race” could be anything but offensive, particularly when an official is addressing a person of color. Klemp claims he was joking. No one was laughing. Injecting a term that was central to Nazi ideology into the conversation is both indefensible and inexplicable. Offering commentary on Penelton’s appearance is also unwelcome and unacceptable.

“Master race” is never an innocuous reference, and simply declaring that racist language isn’t actually racist doesn’t make it so. The fact that Klemp has made this “joke” in the past doesn’t make it any more palatable.

Leavenworth Mayor Mark Preisinger and City Manager Paul Kramer should be applauded for publicly condemning Klemp’s remarks. Other elected officials and fellow Republicans should follow their lead and also should call for Kemp’s resignation.

The ACLU of Kansas wasn’t impressed with Klemp’s attempt at humor. The civil rights organization acknowledged Klemp’s right to free speech but condemned his lack of decency.

“Mr. Klemp has a First Amendment right to express himself — just as his community has a right to hold him accountable to his toxic words and the ideas behind it,” the ACLU wrote.

Klemp’s colleagues and others in the community should hold the commissioner accountable and send the message that Leavenworth won’t tolerate racist speech.

This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 4:23 PM.