A Shelton mayoral candidate has apologized for insensitive comments he made in 1992 and says they were taken the wrong way.

Former Shelton police officer and Marine David Eldridge, who is running as a Democrat, told the Board of Aldermen nearly 30 years ago that he wanted to "to find ways to keep the Blacks and the Spanish and white trash out of town."

He says he was only trying to stand up to the crack cocaine epidemic in 1992 and absentee landlords, and that he didn't mean to hurt anyone.

"There's a different way of saying that now today, but the initial issue of fighting crime and preventing the decay of our neighborhoods and protecting our kids going to school and our seniors is still there," Eldrige says.

Eldridge believes Republicans are looking for anything to knock him. He says Mayor Mark Lauretti nominated him as Connecticut police officer of the year many years ago.

Shelton Police Chief Shawn Sequeira tells News 12, "His comments past and current are not a reflection of the Shelton police department core values. SPD prides themselves on their conduct on and off duty and continue to respect all races and diversity. We understand there is a fine line between freedom of speech and hate speech supported by the police accountability bill and hate and bias crimes."

Lauretti is running for a 16th term in Shelton this fall. He told News 12 that "leopards don't change their spots" in response to Eldridge's past comments.