Centralia City Councilor Elmore Apologizes for Pool Comments

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John Elmore, the mayor pro tem of Centralia who recently made a controversial statement about some mothers and swimming pools, has apologized to the community for what he says were unacceptable generalizations. 

Elmore gave a prepared statement addressed to the “neighbors and citizens of our great city” to The Chronicle on Thursday, saying he “made a mistake” and is “truly sorry.”

On Tuesday, Elmore was quoted in a story about the city being given a $500,000 grant to repair the Pearl Street Pool from the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office.  

When asked for a response to the news, Elmore said he was still against the pool mainly because he isn’t sure the city could afford it, and also because “pools divide families because mom drops off kids to go get cigarettes, tattoos and buy beers; Splash pads unite families because grandma and grandpa want to go along.” 

In the statement of apology, Elmore questioned the context of the comments in the story. “What happened was we mixed casual with on the record,” he later told The Chronicle. “I didn’t want to throw you under the bus.” 

(Editor’s Note: The Chronicle stands by its initial reporting. Going off the record was never discussed during the initial interview between John Elmore and the reporter). 

As part of the statement, Elmore said, “It is unacceptable and hurtful to make any generalization about moms, families, kids or grandparents that does not contribute to a healthy conversation about positive experiences and the tremendous effort by all of us when raising our families, interacting with our friends.”

In the days since the story was published, it has garnered a lot of attention on social media. Elmore has since posted a photograph and a written version of the statement to Facebook.



The statement also says, “What transpired from those comments is the furthest thing from how we want our community portrayed.”

Elmore is also a candidate vying for Centralia School District's Board of Directors Position 2. He faces incumbent Kim Ashmore and fellow challenger Ron Averill in the Aug. 4 primary election. 

In his statement, he says he appreciates those who reached out to him for sharing their concerns and encouragement. 

He said he looks forward to continuing the work to make Centralia a better place to live, work and play. 

The statement also thanks the public for allowing him to be transparent and for realizing how some words can be “destructive and hurtful.” It says it wasn’t his intent and he’s committed to learning from the experience.  

“I love and care about the community, I don’t want to make it look negative,” he said in an interview.