Mayor accused of racist post about Obamas allowed to resign

YORK, Pa. — West York Council unanimously accepted embattled Mayor Charles Wasko's offer to resign to a round of applause from a crowd in council chambers on Monday night.

Wasko came under fire for some of his Facebook posts, which were described as offensive and racist.

One post depicts a wheelbarrow full of orangutans and says moving day at the White House "has finally arrived."

Another references football player Colin Kaepernick, who has taken a knee during the national anthem in protest of how people of color are treated. The post on Wasko's page shows flag-draped coffins and asks the quarterback to point out which guys are black so the flag can be removed.

West York mayor's racist Facebook posts prompt community forum, protest

After he was publicly criticized, Wasko wrote on his Facebook page that he will not be "politically correct, I will say what is on my mind and what I believe in ..." Wasko also told WHTM-TV that, "The racist stuff, yeah, I'll admit I did that, and I don't care what people label me as."

Council members and some residents called for the mayor's resignation. The council voted earlier this month to censure the mayor.

Council member Brian Wilson called the posts "unacceptable."

He said he tried to talk to the mayor about removing them, and the mayor responded by blocking Wilson from seeing the page.

In a subsequent motion Monday, the council voted 6-0 to appoint council president Shawn Mauck to become mayor when Wasko's resignation becomes effective Oct. 21. Mauck, who could not vote on the motion, will fill out the remainder of the term. The seat comes up for re-election next year.

"The good news is we get to move on, and we're going to deal with the topic at hand and continue to heal our community and build a better West York," Mauck said after the vote.

Mauck said he wants to build a police department that focuses on neighborhood and community policing. Mauck said he plans to ask council to adopt President Obama's 21st century model for policing as well as putting together a training program for officers.

Follow Teresa Boeckel on Twitter: @teresaboeckel