Kansas Mayor Resigns Over Threats Following Mask Mandate

By Staff, Agencies

A Republican mayor in Kansas resigned after receiving a barrage of threats for publicly supporting a mask mandate in her city.

Mayor Joyce Warshaw of Dodge City in western Kansas said she feared for the safety of herself and her family after receiving threats by phone and email following her vote to approve the mandate, The Washington Post reported.

The threats reportedly escalated after she was quoted in an article by USA Today supporting the move, according to The Dodge City Globe.

As a result, Warshaw announced in a letter to city officials that she was resigning her position on Tuesday, effective immediately.

“I do not feel safe in this position anymore,” she wrote in a resignation letter. “And am hopeful in removing myself this anger, accusations and abuse will not fall on anyone else and will calm down.”

The city commission voted four to one on 16 November to impose a mask mandate, ordering residents to wear masks indoors, with several exceptions.

Ford County, which is home to the city, and has about 33,600 residents, has recorded 4,914 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to the state health department. 

Warshaw explained NBC News on Tuesday that "threats, accusations and actions" toward her and her family from those in the community had forced her to step down.

“They were loud, and they were aggressive, and they frightened me and my family,” Warshaw told The Post.