RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Four Rapid City Council members and several city residents are calling for Councilman Bill Clayton to step down after remarks some said were racist.

Clayton was accused of making racist comments to a black TV reporter last August. He publicly apologized last month for the controversy.

The Rapid City Journal reports the council heard Clayton’s full testimony behind closed doors in December and took no action against him. The calls during Monday night’s council meeting for Clayton to resign came after former council member Malcolm Chapman criticized the council for not taking action against Clayton.

Clayton defended himself, saying news coverage of the incident has been inaccurate and that “this is the ugly side of politics.”