More than 150 people listened in to the June 3 virtual South Whitehall commissioners meeting as numerous residents called for the resignation of Commissioner Matthew Mobilio for a Facebook post he made two days before.

According to screen shots of the post which circulated on Facebook, Mobilio wrote on his personal page June 1 that supporters of President Donald Trump were “a disgrace” and “should be hung for treason” in response to news coverage of protestors in Washington D.C. being dispersed with tear gas.

The post was later removed and Mobilio issued an apology on his public commissioner page the next day for the “ill-conceived comment” and saying it “should not have been made.”

Before the meeting began, board President Christina “Tori” Morgan addressed the audience.

“The board of commissioners is aware of the recent Facebook post by Mr. Matt Mobilio,” Morgan said. “I’d like to note the post does not express the views or position of South Whitehall Township as a municipal agency or this board of commissioners.”

She said Mobilio spoke out as a private citizen and the meeting would not become a “referendum on private citizen Mobilio’s personal conduct or views.”

Mobilio apologized again for the message.

“The post was ill-conceived, it was in poor taste, I deeply regret what I said,” he said. “I apologize to the citizens of the township, to my fellow board members and anyone else who may have been offended by my post.”

However, despite the large number of public comments calling for him to step down, Mobilio said he will not resign.

“I will not resign today. I will not resign tomorrow. I will not resign next week,” Mobilio said, adding he plans to continue in his duties until his term expires in 2024.

Morgan said removing Mobilio is beyond the authority of the township’s board, and Solicitor Joseph Zator said unless a crime had been committed, the power to unseat a commissioner in a First Class Township like South Whitehall lies with the state government and Gov. Tom Wolf.

During courtesy of the floor, residents largely condemned Mobilio’s post over the course of an hour of heated comments.

Susan Shortell read an email she sent to the board expressing her “shock and disdain,” and said the issue needed to be addressed by the board and Mobilio should resign “in the interest of the future credibility” of the board.

“While everyone has a right to their personal opinions, including on politics and current events, the views of others with differing opinions should be respected … it is especially upsetting that the individual who posts such offensive comments is a member of the five-person South Whitehall board of commissioners,” she said.

Parkland High School senior Jacob Roth read a prepared letter he had sent to Mobilio and noted the commissioner had advertised himself as an “advocate for humanity” during the recent municipal election.

“These comments undermine that message and erode my faith in you as an elected official,” Roth said, adding that although Mobilio apologized, it did not change the fact that the statement was made.

“In order to bring unity to South Whitehall, heal a broken community and best serve the people you swore an oath to protect, it is the opinion of myself and dozens of other community members that you resign your position, effective immediately,” he said.

Greenawalds resident Mike Yellak said Mobilio’s comment, “wasn’t ill-conceived; it was appalling.

“It’s a grand mistake by you, what you said about half your constituents … South Whitehall Township does not need someone in leadership who proposes killing those disagreeing with his positions.”

John Chaya addressed Mobilio saying, “[You] squandered your mantle of trust when you wrote what you did on your Facebook post,” and he needed to step down to allow the township to heal.

Several speakers did speak in support of Mobilio.

Becky Wamsley said she understood why residents were upset, but said Mobilio had apologized and his intention was to “only to vent out a frustration at a country that he saw falling apart, under a leader he did not support.”

Wamsley also said she had never felt unsafe or threatened around Mobilio, even during “heated discussions” around politics.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley said he stood with Mobilio and his First Amendment rights and said the conversations and criticism had been partisan in nature.

“I’m sure these same people never said anything when the president said, ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts,’” Pinsley said. “This is your First Amendment right, you should absolutely not resign; these people that are talking to you would not take the same stance.”

After the public comments, Commissioner Diane Kelly put forth a motion of no confidence in Mobilio and asked for his resignation.

“The statement that you made … are words that have been received as a threat to the very fabric of our township. A statement such as that tarnishes the office of commissioner, which I also hold,” Kelly said.

Commissioner Michael Wolk said earlier the deleted post showed an “egregious lack of integrity” and had fractured the community’s trust, adding “after taking in all of the written commentary and everything that everyone said tonight, I believe it is my duty to serve all of the people in the township and cast ‘aye’ for the motion.”

Morgan said while she agrees with the public’s comments that Mobilio’s statements were “appalling,” Mobilio already publicly stated he would not resign, and she said it was his responsibility to rebuild public trust.

“I believe this is Matt’s challenge to address at this point; he needs to redeem himself with the public,” she said. “I don’t believe that we as a township, we’re not broken … it will only break us if we allow it to break us.”

The vote failed with a 2-2 decision after Mobilio abstained.

Kelly and Wolk voted yes. Morgan and Commissioner Joe Setton voted no.