Mayor Patrick Rushing says he isn’t going anywhere despite a unanimous call for his resignation by the Airway Heights, Washington City Council.

Rushing has posted several derogatory comments about President and First Lady Michelle Obama on his personal Facebook page.

“Gorilla face Michelle, can’t disagree with that. The woman is not attractive except to monkey man Barack. Check out them ears. LOL.” Rushing posted, KHQ reports.

When confronted by the media, the mayor explained, “It’s just playful back and forth banter that my friends and I do.”

Rushing rejected a request by the city council that he tender his resignation.

“I made a mistake. I owned up to my mistake,” the mayor tells The Spokesman-Review. “If I do resign that’s admitting I’m a racist and I’m not.”

“My entire life race has never been an issue.”

Police Chief Lee Bennett believes, as an elected official, Rushing should be held to a higher standard.

“He said he is not going to resign, and that this was playful banter between him and some friends,” according to Bennett.

At the meeting, the mayor said his post was “completely out of character” and that he would “get past this.”

For some, that’s not good enough.

“Because I’m black, it’s offensive to me because many times blacks have been compared to a gorilla, a monkey. Some type of animal,” Tommy Gilbert tells KHQ.  “I’m a joking and jovial person but I know when something is acceptable or not and that is not acceptable under any circumstances.”

“It’s just a terrible thing to say,” adds Mike Larkins. “Being compared to a monkey is offensive because we’re all human beings.”

In the end, the mayor offered a qualified apology.

“If they’re offended, I apologize. It was not meant to be offensive to anybody.”