KANSAS — A western Kansas mayor announced Tuesday that she is resigning,
effective immediately, because of threats she has received after she publicly
supported a mask mandate.
Dodge City Mayor Joyce Warshaw said she was concerned about her safety
after being met with aggression, including threats via phone and email,
after she was quoted on a USA Today article on Friday supporting the mandate,
The Dodge City Globe reported.
“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 said.
The commission voted 4-1 on Nov. 16 to impose a mask mandate, with several
exceptions.
Ford County, where Dodge City is located, has recorded 4,914 cases of COVID-19
since the pandemic began, according to the state health department. The
county has about 33,600 residents.