A Kansas mayor announced Tuesday she has resigned over threats she’s been receiving after publicly supporting the city’s COVID-19 mask mandate.
Dodge City Mayor Joyce Warshaw told USA Today she feared for her safety after residents threatened her over the phone and email.
“I understand people are under a lot of pressure from various things that are happening around society like the pandemic, the politics, the economy, so on and so forth, but I also believe that during these times people are acting not as they normally would,” Warshaw told the outlet.
“I think it’s best for me and the city that I love to remove myself from the commission at this time and from the mayorship so that the city can move forward and be the best that it can be, because I believe in the city.”
In USA Today’s Dec. 11 article, Warshaw was quoted saying she supported the mask mandate, which the city’s commission passed on Nov. 16.
“We just felt like we had to do something so everybody was aware of how important it was for everybody to be responsible for each other’s health and well-being,” the mayor told the outlet.
Dodge City police are investigating the threats against Warshaw.
