The mayor of Auburn, California, announced his plans to resign after sparking outrage by comparing President Trump’s supporters with the Ku Klux Klan.
As California locked down to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Mayor William Kirby shared a Facebook post that included a photograph of Ku Klux Klan members in white hoods with the caption: “Good news for Trump supporters is that most of them already have masks.”
On Monday, several residents raised concerns about Kirby’s post during a virtual city council meeting. His remarks were called “hateful, degrading, bigoted, and more consistent with the mentality of a 15-year-old.” While many were upset, Kirby did have some supporters, including one resident who said, “I completely, 100% agree with his assessment of the president.”
Kirby addressed the controversy after several voicemails from residents were played.
“I spent 40 years dedicating my life to serving the community of Auburn as a physician and through my volunteer efforts. Am I perfect? No,” he said, adding, “We’re all a little flawed.”
While Kirby admitted that his comments were “flawed,” he reiterated his distaste for the president and explained that he could not tolerate watching doctors without enough protective gear responding to the pandemic, adding, “This president has put us all at risk.”
After he addressed the controversy, he announced that he would be resigning during the next council meeting on April 27.
Councilwoman Cheryl Maki seemed supportive of his resignation. She said, “And this is how I feel: I abhor the things that he has said and done, and I did not hear an apology from him tonight.”
“I think it would be appropriate if you would hand the gavel over to Vice Mayor [Matt] Spokely this evening and let him run the meeting,” she added.
Kirby declined to step down immediately and nominated Councilman Daniel Berlant to replace him as mayor after he resigns later this month.
