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Home / World

Town rallies to kick out mayor after awful Facebook memes

By Matt Young
news.com.au·
5 Oct, 2016 08:28 PM4 mins to read

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Speakers voice their concerns about Mayor Charles Wasko, over racist posts he made on his Facebook page, at a borough council meeting in West York. Photo / AP

Speakers voice their concerns about Mayor Charles Wasko, over racist posts he made on his Facebook page, at a borough council meeting in West York. Photo / AP

"More than enough people, if they were honest, would laugh and respond in a positive way," reads a comment under a Facebook post.

The post it sits under, a meme, features a group of orangutans in a wheelbarrow. It looks
innocent enough, until you read the caption.

"Aww ... moving day at the Whitehouse has finally arrived," it says.

"Kenya or bust".

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Another post features an image of Hillary Clinton's face plastered on the wall of a urinal.

"How to keep the floors in the men's rest room clean........I knew she had a purpose in life."

In fact, Charles Wasko's page is filled with dirty and derogatory posts. One in which he calls for the lynching of President Barack Obama, for example.

Mr Wasko's posts have become so inflammatory, with such a wide reach, the town in which he holds the entitled position of mayor, West York, in Pennsylvania, now wants him
out.

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How to keep the floors in the men's restroom clean........I knew she had a purpose in life.

Posted by Charles Wasko on Saturday, 16 July 2016

"He has embarrassed all of us. Not just this table but everyone in this room. Everyone in West York. Everyone in York County, everyone in this Commonwealth," council president Shawn Mauck said.

This is a picture of Mayor Charles Wasko of West York borough in PA accused of making racist remarks, retweet this DJT supporter pic.twitter.com/rwloc4dKC6

— (((Susan))) 🇺🇸 🏳️‍🌈 (@SusanMills158) September 30, 2016


"I would punch him in the mouth if I could get away with it," Councillor Shelley Metzler told The York Daily Record.

"This man needs to resign."

The town of 4500 people fears Mr Wasko's extreme views lead him to an impartial view that could impact on decisions that not only affect the town, but a wider community.

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While he's not paid for the role, the mayor currently holds a position of power in the police department, with questions being raised over the issue of race equality in
particular.

He has the right to invoke emergency powers in a critical situation, but is mostly a
ceremonial mascot for the small town.

"With those types of thoughts in your mind, how can you oversee the police department?" councillor Brian Wilson said.

"We can't have anybody being racist or bigoted especially an elected official."

On Monday night, the council voted unanimously to censure Mr Wasko over the racist posts to his Facebook page, and gave authority to the borough solicitor to oversee the prospect of using the law to overthrow the controversial figure.

"If we're able to draft articles of impeachment, we'll be ready and well-situated to participate in that," Mr Mauck told the Washington Post.

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A line of residents who wanted to have their say during public comments stretched and "snaked around the corner", according to the Post.

Mr Wasko was "not just distasteful. He is dangerous," according to Carla Christopher, a West York resident.

Putin off to Conquer ISIS

Posted by Charles Wasko on Monday, 23 November 2015

Calling the council's moves a "witch hunt", Mr Wasko says the council will have a fight on its hands.

And indeed it does. Despite the support to remove the mayor, the town faces an uphill battle; Pennsylvania law makes it difficult to eject a town official unless they've committed a crime.

"I will not be politically correct, I say what is on my mind and what I believe in, I say what people think but are afraid to upset the liberal media and crooked politicians," he wrote on Facebook last week.

"There will be more to come from me. When I ran for this position I told the residents that I will work with council but I won't put up with wrong doings I will let residents know what they really do, and the bomb is ready to drop on Mauck and Wilson."

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But a petition to get him out for good is building with 1841 signatures at the time of publishing, more than a third of the town's population.

Mr Wasko was elected unopposed in 2013.

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