HUDSON, Ohio — The mayor in Ohio who suggested allowing ice fishing shanties on a lake could lead to prostitution has resigned.
Hudson Mayor Craig Shubert said he was stepping down Monday after a week of being mocked and drawing national attention.
He says in his resignation letter that his attempt at humor at a City Council meeting had been misinterpreted.
The mayor came into the spotlight a week ago during a discussion about whether to permit people to fish on the frozen city lake.
Schubert says he was worried that if people put up ice shanties on the lake it could lead to unintended consequences.
You can read his full statement below.
When I entered the race for mayor in 2019, my objective was to bring about change. To shake-up city council and our city administration, to return Hudson to its core conservative values, and to focus on the needs of our community; not the wants of a few. Residents repeatedly said city leadership had been focusing on amenities and luxuries while our streets and infrastructure crumbled. Concerns over the Phase II development project and questionable spending of $30 million in prior years were equally shared by the voters who elected me.
City Council workshops are a time for discussing important matters, the sharing of ideas and concerns, as well as one’s knowledge and experience prior to crafting legislation to establish new laws and policies. 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. 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.
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. 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. Hudson has a stronger financial and economic base than ever before, and major road improvements are being completed. I have, therefore, decided to step down as mayor to allow for new leadership, a clean slate, and a path forward.