West York Mayor Charles Wasko will step down

(West York) —  West York borough council has voted unanimously Monday to accept Mayor Charles Wasko’s resignation.

Effective Oct. 21, the decision comes after two-and-a-half weeks of calls for Wasko to step down amid public backlash over his racist Facebook posts that went viral

The terms of the deal were reportedly set by Wasko in a letter stating he’d resign if any one of four conditions was met.

“It is ludicrous that a bully offers this list of demands. We think it is insane that we should have to entertain this,” says Carla Christopher, who lives in York County and covers all of central Pennsylvania as an organizer for the civil rights organization Put People First.

The borough hasn’t released Wasko’s letter, and Council President Shawn Mauck would detail only part of the document.

“Demand number one, and I stress the word ‘entertain,’ this idea that we read into record: hiring a sergeant,” Mauck says. “We did entertain that idea, and we put him on notice that we met that requirement.”

Wasko’s suggested requirements for the hire include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and having attained the rank of sergeant (or equivalent experience) elsewher, Mauck says.

Mauck’s fellow council members have appointed him to serve as mayor for the 14 months remaining in Wasko’s term.

In West York, a 4,500-person borough, the mayor’s position is unpaid, with voting power only if there’s a tie, but some authority over the police department.

Wasko didn’t show up for the meeting.

Afterward, he was sitting at his computer in his living room, but did not  respond to his doorbell or phone.

He’s also rebuffed all of our other attempts get comment from him.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated to add details about the resignation terms.