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The mayor of a town in northeastern Ohio has stepped down following his recent comments linking ice fishing to prostitution.
Hudson, Ohio, Mayor Craig Shubert's resignation on Monday comes after a discussion at a city council meeting last week about safety and liability issues. Shubert said that, if one of the city's parks were to allow ice fishing, it would lead to ice shanties, which would then lead to prostitution. "If you open this up to ice fishing, which while on the surface, it sounds good, then what happens next year? Does somebody come back and say, 'I want an ice shanty in Hudson Springs Park for X amount of time? And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem: prostitution. And now you have the police chief of the police department involved. Just some data points to consider."
Shubert later said the comment was meant to be humorous and has been misunderstood. He said that he believes that the current state of politics is to blame for the backlash and mockery that followed his initial comments.
Hudson mayor thinks ice fishing leads to prostitution! Put your poles away boys!*
— Amanda Weinstein (@ProfWeinstein) February 9, 2022
*Same guy who thinks creative writing classes are child pornography. pic.twitter.com/9N0R2tVri6
Shubert's comments made international, national news and went viral on social media, with one video of him making the statement racking up more than 800,000 views.
According to Cleveland.com, Shubert informed the city council of his intention to leave office with a one-sentence statement. However, on his campaign website, Shubert posted a more elaborate statement, going into further detail about his reasoning for the move.
Shubert said that his comments at last week's city council meeting were "made out of concern for our community; what could become of unintended consequences of new legislation, based on my prior television of news and reporting experience." He also claims that his comment linking ice fishing to sex for money was an attempt to "inject a bit of dry humor to make a point about this, in midst of a cold, snowy February, was grossly misunderstood.
"Some in our community saw this as an opportunity to engage in the politics of personal destruction by means of character assassination, blaming me for the negative international press they helped to promote."
In a statement from the Hudson City Council, its president, Chris Foster, following Shubert's resignation, thanked him for his time and service to the community.
"City Council appreciates the time and dedication that Mayor Shubert has put in to serving the citizens of Hudson. We respect his decision and wish him the best in the future."
The statement also went on to say that they will begin searching for a new mayor of Hudson immediately. The council will appoint a mayor to serve until the November general election.
As for what is next for Shubert, he says he's given this considerable thought since the passing of his wife and believes that retirement is right around the corner.
