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Councilman Under Fire For '09 Anti-Obama Rally

STERLING HEIGHTS (AP) - An elected official in suburban Detroit says he was visited by the U.S. Secret Service after his colleagues asked him to resign over his critical comments about President Barack Obama and others in 2009.

Sterling Heights council member Paul Smith tells The Macomb Daily that some "joker" made a complaint to the Secret Service. He says agents believe he's not a threat after a visit Thursday.

Smith appeared at a tea party rally in 2009 and held anti-Obama signs, including one that said, "One more day is one too many." He also criticized then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Smith says he has no reason to defend himself three years later.

The Sterling Heights City Council voted 6-1 to ask Smith to resign. Smith says he won't.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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