The mayor of Cobalt resigned this week, citing online bullying. Mita Gibson, who is transgender and uses the pronouns ‘they’ and ‘them,’ tendered their resignation on Tuesday. Just before Easter Weekend on April 5, Gibson posted a lengthy statement on social media, decrying what they called “blatant transphobic comments online.” “I did not expect that a small group of people would be so filled with blind hate that they would hurt fellow Cobalters both emotionally and financially through their attacks towards me,” Gibson wrote. “People are so blinded by hate towards me that they are poisoning their own town with discriminatory, dishonest words that do nothing but drag the entire town down!” Gibson declined to elaborate on their comments or reason for resigning, referring CTV back to their earlier statement and that they wish to move on from the experience. The statement cited a history of gossip within the town, harmful behaviour towards the 2SLGBTQ+ community and a small group of people perpetuating bullying, prejudice and disinformation online. This comes weeks after the former mayor was found guilty of misconduct by the community’s integrity commissioner for attempting to replace the town’s public library board without the consent of town council. The commissioner did not recommend a punishment for the first-time politician’s controversial move, with council deciding on a penalty of two month’s pay, to go towards legal fees. No members of Cobalt’s town council would comment on the record about Gibson’s statement or their resignation.
