Community Education Council member Salvatore Ballarino resigned his seat today at the insistence of Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, in the wake of an inflammatory "joke" email that ignited a firestorm of outrage.

"I spoke to Mr. Ballarino this morning and asked him to resign," Molinaro said. "He agreed, and he has resigned effective today. His conduct was inappropriate and unacceptable as my appointee. Such comments about any race, people, or religion by anyone appointed by me will not be tolerated."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg applauded Molinaro for acting to remove Ballarino.

"I am glad the borough president asked for Mr. Ballarino's resignation this morning," Bloomberg said. "The e-mails he forwarded were deeply offensive, and there was no longer any role for him influencing policies that affect our children." The e-mail, a mock photo strip sent to about 30 people on Jan. 4, shows a presidential debate between then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, with speech balloons inventing a dialogue rife with racist jokes about black people.

The strip starts with McCain saying, "I have black people in my family tree," followed by Obama saying, "Really? That's great," and McCain responding with, "If I recall, they're still hanging there."

After each of the four jokes -- with punch lines that compare African American babies with excrement -- Obama is shown with a straight face.

Community leaders have expressed outrage over the e-mail.