Ice Fishing Leads to…What!?
The ice fishing community in the Lake Erie Islands had a field day on social media after Craig Schubert, the mayor of Hudson, Ohio, suggested the ice fishing leads to prostitution. Visit https://flyfisherpro.com/ to gather more knowledge about this topic.
There was a debate at the Hudson council meeting on Tuesday, February 8th, about whether or not to allow ice fishing on the lakes in Hudson Springs Park. During the discussion, Mayor Schubert, talking about the slippery slope of allowing ice fishing (bucket fishing), said, “And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem. Prostitution. And now you have the police chief and the police department involved. Just some data points to consider.”
In videos of the meeting you can witness the stunned silence with some in the room laughing nervously. One council member put his hand on the mayor’s back, seemingly in an effort to break the tension in the room.
Schubert’s comments sparked local, national and international news coverage. Those familiar with ice fishing bombarded social media with comments and memes making more jokes about the mayor’s comments, especially from the island area where ice fishing is enjoyed by so many.
One news agency reporter checked with local law enforcement officials and asked if they have ever had reports or arrests regarding prostitution in ice fishing shanties. Sheriffs from Ottawa, Erie and Ashtabula reported no calls about the problem. “We probably have more ice fishermen here than anywhere else in the state and I never heard of that at all,” said Ottawa County Sheriff Stephen Levorchick.
One interesting note is that Tavis Campbell from Put-in-Bay, who works for the Hudson Police Dept., was reported to have attended the meeting where the ice shanty prostitution remarks were made.
Schubert then released the following statement to WJW (Channel 8):
“My comment about ice fishing, the permitting of shanties on lakes, and prostitution stems from my experience as a former television news reporter covering law enforcement agencies, which have made arrests for acts of prostitution in ice fishing shanties. When discussing proposed legislation, it is wise to discuss the potential for unintended consequences. My statement was to enlighten council that the future permitting of ice shanties may lead to other issues.”
A Hudson spokesperson said the city won’t respond to mayor’s comments about ice fishing and prostitution. Council also approved ice fishing in its park.
Later the mayor remarked, “My attempt to inject a bit of dry humor to make a point about this, in the midst of a cold, snowy February, was grossly misunderstood.” It was obvious his previous remarks at the Council meeting fell far flat of being anything humorous.
On Valentine’s Day, Mayor Schubert submitted his resignation.
We’re thinking that the Hudson City Council is now looking to find a replacement for the mayor who is a bit more knowledgeable about what really goes on in ice fishing shanties.
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