I was sad and disheartened to learn that Winona County commissioner candidate Brian Conner likened President Obama to a monkey in a Facebook post. One does not need to be an expert on race relations to know that his post was racist.

I believe strongly that everyone deserves a second chance, so I was anxious to hear what Conner’s response would be to this finding. Instead of apologizing, he passed it off as no big deal. This adds insult to injury. Racism is alive and well in 2016, and I have no tolerance for it. Nor do I want someone holding public office who so blatantly sees nothing wrong with his overt racism.

I believe strongly that elections should be about the issues. But elections should also be about the content of someone’s character. Conner showed his character very clearly to me. Ask yourself this Winona residents: Is this someone who you want representing you?

Leah Omar

Winona State University alumni