An Ohio mayor has resigned after suggesting last week that ice fishing could lead to prostitution.
Hudson mayor Craig Shubert submitted his resignation letter to the city’s clerk on Monday.
“My comments at Tuesday’s workshop were made out of concern for our community; what could become of unintended consequences of new legislation, based on my prior television news reporting experience,” Shubert wrote in his resignation statement. “My attempt to inject a bit of dry humor to make a point about this, in the 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,” he added.
Shubert went viral last week after he suggested during a city council meeting that allowing ice fishing at a local park could lead to prostitution.
“Does someone come back next year and say I want an ice shanty on Hudson Springs Park for X amount of time?” Shubert said during the meeting. “And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem. Prostitution. Now you’ve got the police chief and the police department involved.”
Shubert said that he had planned to retire, especially after the death of his wife in September.
“Since the passing of my wife, First Lady Sherri Moyer, I have given considerable thought to the next stage of my life. Retirement is on the near horizon,” he wrote. “With the recent changes on city council, where six of seven seats have turned over, City Hall is entering a new era. My role as a change agent is complete.”
Shubert,65, is know to make outlandish comments. Last year, he sparked controversy when he called for the resignations of members of the Hudson School Board, claiming a writing assignment for a college-credit class amounted to child pornography because students were asked to write about sex.
“Either choose to resign from the board of education or you will be charged,” he told the school board at the time.
