Things have been tense for Martinsville City Council this week. During a meeting on Tuesday night, Councilman Aaron Rawls was removed while addressing the crowd after this exchange with Mayor LC Jones.

A Martinsville Sheriff’s Deputy then escorted Rawls from the chambers. Rawls was objecting to City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides possibly receiving a raise. Rawls said in a press conference on Thursday that the City Manager directed the deputy to have him removed.

During a press conference on Thursday Rawls discussed what he plans to do next.

Rawls also noted that he doesn’t plan to run for public office again and admitted to making his own mistakes. Rawls wouldn’t say if he planned to file any actions because of the incident. The next Martinsville City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday.