The Mayor of Hudson, Ohio, Craig Shubert was lambasted for suggesting that allowing people to ice fish on the lake could lead to prostitution. Speaking before Hudson City Council members as they went through several items on the agenda including reviewing ward boundaries and water rates, the Republican Mayor briefly went round the bend with his wild suggestion.
Craig Shubert was forced to resign Monday morning after his statements made national headlines. The Mayor had made headlines last year after another controversy when he suggested that members of the school board should resign over an optional book in the college syllabus when he said was ‘child pornography.’
Chris Foster, the Council President who had initially brought up the topic of allowing ice fish on Hudson Lake, was taken back at the suggestion. With most of the other members voicing concern over safety issues, Craig Shubert went wild with his suggestions.
Craig Shubert Says He Was Only Voicing Concern Over The Consequences Of The Proposed Move
Craig Shubert defended his comments later in an account he gave to Fox News. He said that his comments arose from his experience as an anchor covering the police. He said arrests were made earlier when fishing shanties were illegally used for prostitution.
Shubert said that legislative discussion should include any potential for inadvertent consequences. He said that he only intended to enlighten the council that permitting ice shanties could have unforeseeable consequences.
Nicole Kowalski, a City Councilwoman, expressed her astonishment at the remarks and said that it was not the first time that Craig Shubert has made such outrageous comments.
In his resignation statement, Craig Shubert said that his statement reflected his concern for the community of Hudson. He was only trying to highlight the unintended consequences of any new legislation based on his experience as a journalist. He said his attempt at injecting humor into the proceedings was misinterpreted.
