In this week’s entry in the “public official says dumb things on social media, asked to resign” files, we feature the mayor of a tiny town in Pennsylvania who used his Facebook account to post messages and images deemed racist.
According to Fox News, “[Charles] Wasko was elected mayor of the borough of roughly 4,500 residents about 100 miles west of Philadelphia in 2013. Running unopposed as a Republican, he tallied 202 votes, against 78 write-in ballots for others.”
Fox News continues:
Wasko isn’t paid as mayor and votes only to break ties on the council. But he also oversees the police department in the borough, where the acting chief, Matthew Millsaps, said he was “disturbed” by the images.”This in no way reflects the ideology of this department,” Millsaps said, noting the department has a Hispanic man and black woman among its eight officers.
Several West York borough council members have called on Mayor Charles Wasko to step down in light of racist posts he has made on Facebook.Wasko, who was elected mayor in 2013, has posted several pictures on Facebook this year that council members took issue with: Two compared President Barack Obama and his family to monkeys, and one suggested Obama should be hanged with a noose. Another post featured a fictional black person saying that socialism is “when the white folks work every day so we can get all our governmental entitlement stuff for free.”
Here is the second of the aforementioned posts (the first is no longer available):
“Well, Child…..Socialism is when the white folks work every day so we can get all our governmental entitlement stuff for free. You know…..like our free cell phones for each family member, rent subsidy, food stamps, EBT, WIC, free school breakfast, lunch, and in some places supper; free healthcare, utility subsidy, and on and on…..you know, that’s Socialism.””But, mama, don’t the white people get pissed off about that?””Sure they do, Honey. That’s called Racism.”(Never was it more simply explained)
The York Dispatch continues:
One of Wasko’s posts from June features a picture of a wheelbarrow full of apes with the words “Aww … moving day at the Whitehouse has finally arrived” and “Kenya or bust.” Another, from February, is a photo of a monkey gritting its teeth, to which Wasko added the comment, “Most think it is Obama’s picture……sorry its Moochelles baby photo,” presumably referring to Michelle Obama.
Also in February, he posted a picture of Clint Eastwood with a noose, featuring the words “Barry, This rope is for you. You wanna bring that empty chair over here?”
According to the York Dispatch, four council members have called for Wasko’s resignation.
The four council members reachable by phone on Wednesday — two Democrats and two Republicans — out of the seven members of the council, said they want Wasko out as mayor.Wasko didn’t respond to multiple messages seeking comment on Wednesday.Council president Shawn Mauck said this was the first he’d heard about issues regarding the mayor’s posts. He was shocked when he pulled up the mayor’s publicly visible profile and read them.”I almost don’t know what to say,” said Mauck, who called the posts “disgusting.””I kind of want to throw up.”
For his part, Wasko seems unconcerned. He states that he will not be forced to be politically correct and that calls for his resignation amount to a “witch hunt.”
A small-town Pennsylvania mayor who’s being asked to resign over racist pictures on his Facebook page says he’s the victim of a “witch hunt.”. . . . Several members of the borough council want him to step down. In a brief phone interview with The Associated Press, Wasko said he would provide more details at a later date about his witch hunt claim and then hung up.The York Daily Record said at one point Thursday, Wasko posted on his Facebook page that he refuses to be politically correct.
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