Hosmer hopes for constructive discussion of race, anti-Semitism

LACONIA — Mayor Andrew Hosmer said Monday he found the malicious caricature of a Jewish man contained in a link School Board member and state Rep. Dawn Johnson posted on social media to be abhorrent and especially offensive to the local Jewish community, but he hoped that the city could move beyond the controversy and begin a constructive discussion around the issues of racism and anti-Semitism.

“I do believe that the role that I play as mayor is to facilitate and encourage dialogue and debate, but I also believe that we need to be attentive to civility in the course of these debates,” the mayor said.

He said he planned to address the issue at the City Council meeting scheduled for later in the day.

Hosmer said he had received a “significant number” of phone calls and emails from constituents reacting to the post which included a cartoonish man with a large hooked nose and wearing a yahmulke (skull cap), holding a notice titled rent increase.

The meme was reposted from the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer.

Everyone who reached out told the mayor they were offended and concerned by the post, Hosmer said.

Hosmer said he appreciated that Johnson had “expressed regret” for the post she made on her Twitter feed. He said that he took her apology “at face value.”

At the same time, the mayor said he realized that the incident was a “lightning rod event” that was creating considerable fallout.

Hosmer said that although he felt compelled to speak out, he said that his comments were not intended to interfere with the business of the School Board, which is a separate elected body. The school board has a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening.

The mayor said he had heard from a number of members of the local Jewish community.

“I take their concerns very seriously,” he said. “Anti-Semitism is alive and well in this country,” he continued, adding: “We don’t have the luxury of being indifferent.”

He said as abhorrent as Johnson’s post was, it could provide an opportunity for the city to have a serious discussion on how to overcome racism and anti-Semitism.

“This is about what we value as a community and a nation,” he said.

Hosmer declined to weigh in on the call by many that Johnson resign.

“The politics will take care of themselves,” he said. “We should talk about larger issues.”