Wilson County Commission candidate criticized for interracial marriage post

Andy Humbles | The Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption Wilson County Commission candidate Robert Fields criticized for interracial marriage post Wilson County Commission candidate Robert Fields criticized for interracial marriage post

A candidate for Wilson County commissioner is under fire after a social media comment that referenced his opponent’s interracial marriage.

Robert Fields and Tim Roehler are tied with 526 votes apiece with provisional ballots still outstanding for the District 1 county commission seat.

Fields reportedly made a social media post on Friday about the campaign of Roehler, according to a screenshot of the post.

“He kept quiet that he is a Democrat, an interracial couple, two interracial children and stated one occupation in one newspaper and totally different in the local,” the post read, according to the screenshot.

The post is not presently on Fields' Facebook account. A screenshot of the post was sent to The Tennessean and was circulated to other social media sites.

Fields did not respond to questions and messages about the post. Fields' only response Monday morning was an email that stated, “I am not conceding.” He did not elaborate.

Roehler wrote a rebuttal on his Facebook account to Fields. Roehler referred to his opponent as a racist and stated Fields’ comment “implicitly shows you clearly believe that (my wife’s) race is a negative or that our marriage somehow makes me inferior to you,” Roehler wrote.

“I was extremely angry,” Roehler said. “On a scale of racist comments, it’s very low. But racism is racism, and I’m upset for my wife and children.”

Wilson County District 9 Commissioner Sara Patton wants to present a resolution condemning the Facebook post saying “that we won’t tolerate this kind of mindset in Wilson County government,” if Fields is elected and plans to accept the office. Patton has spoken with a number of other commissioners about the post, she said.

“I not only represent District 9, I represent all of Wilson County, and I’m appalled someone would put something like that on a website or anywhere for someone to read,” Patton said.

There were reportedly two outstanding provisional ballots that could affect the District 1 tie if that race is voted on. The provisional ballots are expected to be counted Wednesday.

If Fields has the most votes when results are certified, he will be declared the winner whether he announces a concession or not, according to Madison Tracy of the Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

An elected candidate can decline a seat with notice to the county mayor or commission. The vacancy would then be on the November ballot, Tracy said.

A tie would give the full county commission the option to either select a candidate for the office or make the seat part of the Nov. 6 general election.

This is a developing story.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @AndyHumbles.