By Adam Studzinski and Sam Wood

BLOOMINGTON – The challenger in Bloomington’s mayoral race allegedly made racially charged comments on Facebook three years ago.

They surfaced on a Facebook page targeting Lower for defeat in next month’s election.

PODCAST: Listen to Lower’s reaction on WJBC.

Lower commented on a post in the Facebook group Marcus Garvey Society in 2014 saying “There are certainly many more current opportunities on the African continent than on the North American…”

The comment was in response to a post which said “If African Americans really want to escape racism. it may be time to move to the land of the ancestors!”

The group itself consists of two members, one of which is Lower. It can be found here.

Lower returned a call to WJBC seeking his response, but declined to comment.

Incumbent Mayor Tari Renner said he was “disappointed” in Lower’s Facebook comment.

“Really, all I can say is that I’m deeply disappointed in the remarks,” Renner told WJBC. “I wholeheartedly disagree with everything [the comment] implies.”

Renner himself was in hot water over comments he made to local conservative blogger Diane Benjamin in 2015. 

“I responded quickly and emotionally to what I thought was an attack on my son,” Renner said of his comments. “But I think at the end of the day, if you’re a public figure, you have to step back and think about the repercussions of what you’re saying.”

“You’re not just an individual. You have to think about the repercussions of what you’re saying and the deeper meaning of what might be communicated,” Renner added.

WJBC will update this story.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].

Sam Wood can be reached at [email protected]