ajcnewsA four-term Chattahoochee Hills councilman running for mayor publicly apologized for a second time during Tuesday’s council meeting, facing a fierce backlash from the community for his belligerent comments about two women.But Richard “Richie” Schmidt also vowed to stay in the race for mayor after more than 20 people spoke during public comment — with one after another criticizing his recorded threats and violent imagery said during a telephone tirade to the city manager about a contractor.Schmidt took the podium first during public comment and stood facing roughly 120 residents, conceding that his actions “disappointed a lot of people.” Adding, “sometimes emotions get the best of us.”Schmidt told the AJC he had no intention of harming Walker.“That was very wrong what I did,” Schmidt said Friday. “That was very out of character.”Several residents pointed to a pattern of bad behavior. Laurie Searle said Schmidt verbally abused her when she was on the council and rejected his apology, saying he created a “difficult working relationship” that hurt staff and citizens.“I do not accept your apology,” Searle added.Schmidt’s first apology came in a Facebook post.Read more details on Schmidt’s remarks at the link In our bio. 🖋️ : Reed Williams🎥 : Jon Neiditz via open records request🎤 : Jon Neiditz via open records request📸 : Chattahoochee Hills City Council | Handout