Calls for Karen Doyle Lyons to resign as Norwalk”™s Republican registrar of voters are continuing to grow, in the wake of what officials and the NAACP are alleging were racist comments she made on her Facebook page.
Having originally agreed to step down, Lyons has since rescinded that offer.
At issue was a comment Lyons, who has held her position since 2000, made on Facebook reading, “No more Black History Month because many of us know more then (sic) many Blacks.”
She later said that her words were taken out of context, and that she was asking that black history be taught year-round. “I am just saying study, learn not just one month but all year. I do and so should many others,” she posted.
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, the Norwalk branch of the NAACP, and Democratic state Sen. Bob Duff of Norwalk all issued statements condemning Doyle Lyons’ remarks; each asked for the registrar’s resignation, which she apparently tendered before rescinding it.
As an elected official, Lyons cannot be fired.
Lyons, who had been endorsed by the city”™s Republican Town Committee (RTC) for re-election this year, “must immediately resign and remove her name from the 2020 ballot,” Duff said. “Her comments on Facebook are racist, lack moral leadership and are extremely concerning in the context of her current position as an election administrator.”
