Dodge City, Kansas Mayor Joyce Warshaw Resigns After Receiving Threats Over Support For Masks

The mayor of Dodge City, Kansas has resigned from office after receiving threats over her support for a local mask mandated to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican Mayor Joyce Warshaw wrote a letter to the city’s commission stating that she no longer felt “safe” in her position and decided to leave office – and the city.

“Life has dealt out many challenged in our would that have perhaps caused many people to act inappropriately,” wrote Warshaw. “But I do not feel safe in this position anymore and am hopeful in removing myself this anger, accusations and abuse will not fall on anyone else and will calm down.”

A mask mandate was ordered in the city a month ago that required people to wear masks indoors or receive a $25 fine, but the mandate has been widely ignored. It is reported that 5,000 people in the county has tested positive in a population of only 33,000. The virus took the lives of 10 people.

Threats Warshaw received only grew after she was quoted in a recent USA Today article, where show spoke out about how her hometown was hit hard by the pandemic. “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,” she stated in that article.

Warshaw and her husband, Bill Warshaw, have already indefinitely left Dodge City to an apartment they own in another part of the state for their own safety.

“I’m just going to fade away,” she said. “I don’t know when or if I’ll go back to Dodge City for a very long time. I hope so, because I love Dodge City.”

In addition to her resignation letter, Warshaw also announced her departure on Facebook, where she received many messages of support.

“Your leadership and ability to make the tough decisions will be missed,” one commented.

“I’m so sorry that you had to go through this!” another wrote.

Warshaw wrote that she had “no regrets,” regarding the choices she made as mayor and believe that she “truly made every decision for the best interest of all of you and Dodge City.”