Ohio mayor sparks baffled response after claiming ice fishing leads to prostitution

‘I don’t think SNL could do it better. His timing is impeccable’

A mayor in Ohio left a council meeting baffled after suggesting ice fishing could lead to prostitution.

Amid a discussion about allowing ice fishing in a city park, Hudson mayor Craig Shubert argued that allowing “ice fishing with shanties” would present police with a further problem.

“Does someone come back next year and say I want an ice shanty on Hudson Springs Park for X amount of time?” Mr Shubert said. “And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem. Prostitution. Now you’ve got the police chief and the police department involved.”

A video of the meeting was later shared online, and his comments were immediately seized upon by social media users.

“Hudson mayor thinks ice fishing leads to prostitution! Put your poles away boys!* *Same guy who thinks creative writing classes are child pornography,” wrote Amanda Weinstein, referring to Mr Shubert’s comments at a September school board meeting in Hudson – when he suggested that a book used in a college-level writing course that contained topics of a sexual nature was “child pornography in the classroom”.

“I don’t think SNL could do it better. His timing is impeccable,” one Twitter user wrote in response to the video.

“I’m from Arizona so can someone explain to me how ice fishing leads to prostitution?” another wrote.

Mr Shubert’s comment appeared to reference the use of ice shanties (a small ice shack, or portable shed) put on the ice to protect people from the elements while ice fishing. It is not clear why Mr Shubert is under the impression that the use of such sheds would lead to prostitution.

The Independent has contacted Mr Shubert for comment.