An Upstate New York mayor is standing by an offensive Facebook post, claiming he doesn't care if he costs him his job.

Fort Ann Mayor Denis Langlois is under fire for calling Democatic voters "retarded" in a post on the social network. Langlois' Facebook page is private, but screenshots went viral showing he used the derogatory word.

"If anyone that I know vote (sic) for a Democrat on Tuesday you should sign yourself into the Mental Health unit at your local Hospital because you are retarded and need help, Vote Republican and 'Keep America Great'!" Langlois wrote.

The "R-word" is considered offensive by the Special Olympics, Best Buddies and more than 200 advocacy groups.

The Glen Falls Post-Star reports Langlois initially claimed he didn't remember writing the Facebook post -- "I post things all the time. I really don't remember what I do half the time" -- but later changed his story.

Langlois defended his words, saying he wrote it as a private individual and not as the mayor in Fort Ann, N.Y., a town of 6,500 people some 60 miles north of Albany.

"I'm not doing it as an official, I'm doing it as a person. You can't quote me as the mayor, you can only quote me as a person. As a mayor I wouldn't say that, but as a person who believes in Republican values," he told the publication. "Most people don't even know I'm the mayor. Nobody cares anymore. That's the problem with America today. Everybody just goes around with their life, and if it doesn't affect them, they don't care. It's a terrible thing."

WNYT reports the post has since been removed. Langlois' Facebook page is private, but several public posts show him supporting President Donald Trump and openly criticizing former President Barack Obama before Election Day on Tuesday.

According to Newsweek, Langlois was a Canadian citizen for 63 years before getting his U.S. citizenship and successfully running for office.

Langlois told The Post-Star he "won big time" when he was elected village trustee in 2017. He was appointed mayor five months ago when Russell Blair resigned.

He told the newspaper that he doesn't worry if his politically incorrect words get him removed from office.

"If you write something and it gets me out of the mayor, I don't care," Langlois said. "I live for myself and what I believe in... I have no regrets on what I say. I never have regrets on what I say. I believe what I believe. Whether it's politically correct or not, it's what I believe, and it doesn't matter. I talk from my heart and my soul, and that's all there is to it."