Fairview Park Received Hundreds of Emails and Messages Calling for Council President's Firing After Charlie Kirk Comments

Fairview Park received hundreds of calls and emails calling for former Council President Michael Kilbane’s resignation in the aftermath of Kilbane’s comments on the September 10 assassination of 31-year-old political activist Charlie Kirk.

Hours after Kirk was shot during a Q&A at Utah Valley University, Kilbane took to Facebook to share his thoughts on Kirk’s murder.

“A lot of good people died today,” he wrote. “Charlie Kirk wasn’t one of them.”

From the day of Kilbane’s comment to his resignation days later on September 12, the city received more than 700 emails and roughly 350 calls on the topic, with the vast majority of them urging Kilbane to apologize to Fairview Park residents and abandon his post immediately.

Kilbane apologized as the pressure grew.

“I apologize profusely. It was in bad taste,” Kilbane told Cleveland.com. “It was a horrible thing that happened to the man and I’m sorry for his family.”

“Nobody deserves that, no matter what we think of each other’s politics,” he said. “Nobody deserves to be shot. It’s very sad.”

But he resigned anyway.

Kirk’s shooting death, and the global reaction to it, has prompted a debate on freedom of speech, as a slew of professionals lost and continue to lose jobs over their comments ranging from the crude to simply observational. Republican influencers and commentators have engineered an internet pressure campaign on employers, one that was backed up by Vice President J.D. Vance.

“Call them out, and hell, call their employer,” Vance said. “We don’t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility.”

More than 100 teachers, journalists, doctors, first responders and other workers—including Jimmy Kimmel and Hamilton County Judge Ted Berry—have been reprimanded or fired because of their takes on Kirk’s assassination, USA Today reported.

Kilbane is among them.

In hundreds of emails reviewed by Scene, a horde of Fairview Park residents and outside observers sent fiery harangues to the inboxes of Kilbane and Mayor Bill Schneider, with most suggesting the council president offended his city by downplaying the ruthless murder of a father of two.

“Such a statement is appalling, disrespectful, and unbecoming of an elected official who represents the community,” one wrote. “Regardless of political differences, celebrating or trivializing the death of others is conduct that violates the standards of professionalism, respect, and integrity that city leadership should uphold.”

“Your primary obligation is to serve the public interest and foster a community of respect and unity,” another said. “Your recent remarks have severely undermined public confidence in your ability to fulfill that obligation without bias.”

“DO U HAVE A SOUL?!?!?!?” wrote another.

And others just a simple, “Fuck you.”

A small minority sympathized with Kilbane.

“For what it is worth, your statement is correct, a guy that believes gays should be stoned, Black pilots are DEI hires, etc., etc., is not a good guy,” one wrote Kilbane. “I have empathy for his family and friends for their loss, but that doesn’t change the fact that was a hate monger.”

“We stand behind you and completely agree with your statement,” another wrote. “Charlie Kirk was a scumbag and while neither of us condone gun violence as an answer, I think the country is a better place without his hateful rhetoric.”

As of Thursday, Kilbane’s position has not yet been filled.