LEWISTON, Maine (AP) _ The mayor of Maine’s second largest city has resigned in the wake of a controversy over his leaked emails and text messages, one of which included a racist remark.

Republican Shane Bouchard stepped down as Lewiston’s mayor effective immediately on Friday morning. Text messages made public by a woman who said she had an affair with Bouchard when he was a mayoral candidate revealed a racist remark he sent her while the two were working to undermine a political opponent.

Heather Berube Everly has Everly said the two had an affair, and that she was the source of emails the Maine GOP used to attack Democratic opponent Ben Chin.

The Sun Journal reported Everly made public more than 150 text exchanges with Bouchard. In one, Bouchard describes elderly black people as “antique farm equipment.”