John Sims: Cooper City commissioner posts racially charged comment on Facebook

"Just wanted to let you know ... today I received my 2013 Social Security Stimulus Package. It contained two tomato seeds, cornbread mix, two discount coupons to KFC, an ' Obama Hope & Change' bumper sticker, a prayer rug, a machine to blow smoke up my ass and a 'Blame it on Bush' poster for the front yard. The directions were in Spanish. Yours should arrive soon," read Commissioner John Sims' comment posted Friday.

Sims did not return phone and email messages from the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday.

The post received 19 "likes" and six comments supporting the statement before it was removed from the Facebook page about noon Wednesday.

Cooper City resident James Jones, who is the Hollywood assistant police chief, said the statement is demeaning and racist toward African Americans, Hispanics and Muslims.

Jones, who is white, wrote an email to the mayor and commissioners asking them to denounce Sims and request his resignation from the commission.

"He is entrusted with a lot of power … power to enact laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations. He's entrusted with the power to spend tax dollars," said Jones. "He's entrusted with too much public power to harbor such feelings of racism and anger."

Sims, who is known in the community for his conservative views, replied to Jones' email Wednesday with, "I hope you enjoyed it!"

Gladys Wilson, who has defended Sims before, said the commissioner has a great sense of humor and wouldn't aim insults specifically at any ethnic group. She called the Facebook post a "light-hearted joke."

"There's always someone like James who wants to pick apart what someone says … A dumb James Jones who sticks his head up out of the mole hole," Wilson said. "I won't say [the comment] was appropriate but I won't say that it was inappropriate."

But former Cooper City Mayor Debby Eisinger, who often clashed with Sims, called the comment "despicable."

"It's a horrendous racist and inappropriate comment to make," she said. "People need to know, come the next election, the type of character of the person serving them."

Similar comments to Sims' have circulated on blog sites since defeated Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said President Barack Obama was re-elected because of "gifts" to Latinos, African Americans and young voters.