Ellwood City Council members have decided to settle a federal racial discrimination complaint filed by the operations chief of the police department, but terms are not being revealed.

Neither borough officials nor Chief Richard McDonald would comment on council's unanimous vote on Monday and what it means.

A former Pittsburgh police homicide detective, Chief McDonald was hired in May 2007 to head the borough department of 11 full-time and three part-time officers. He was the first black person to join the force in the history of the borough, where fewer than 1 percent of the 8,700 residents are African-American.

Chief McDonald filed the complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the spring after repeated clashes with first-term Mayor Don Clyde, who made no secret that he had favored a lieutenant already on the force to be named chief.

In a story in the Jan. 27 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Chief McDonald said he was on the job for about a week when the mayor told him not to be surprised to hear the "N word" -- and the mayor used the racial epithet itself.

"He said, 'We use the word here and we use it a lot, so you're going to hear it and that's something you need to get used to,' " Chief McDonald recalled.

In the same article, Mr. Clyde confirmed that the discussion occurred but denied any racist intent.

"It was not meant to be derogatory toward him in any way, shape or form," he told the Post-Gazette. As for use of the word, Mr. Clyde said, "it possibly can be [a racist term] but not really. I'm from the old school. It was a word that was commonly used when I grew up. It referred mostly to all blacks and it didn't mean good [or] bad.

"I was making him aware that should he be in the other room and overhear it that it's not meant toward him," he said. "I was trying to make him feel at home, to be a nice guy."

Two days later, Lawrence County commissioners, like many borough residents, called upon Mr. Clyde to resign, but he has stayed put.

Chief McDonald said yesterday he enjoys working in Ellwood City where, he proudly states, his great-great grandmother was one of town's first black residents.

"I've never been treated differently because of my race by any person in the department or community other than the mayor," Chief McDonald said.

Mr. Clyde declined comment, referring a reporter to Solicitor Edward Leymarie, who was unavailable.