Oregon Councilor Quits City Seat After Outrage Over Social Media Comments on Charlie Kirk

A Cornelius councilor, who posted on social media that the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk brightened his day, resigned from the City Council yesterday (Friday).

His Comments Resulted in a Backlash of Protests

John Colgan tendered his resignation following a backlash of protests about his Facebook post. His resignation has been confirmed by the Mayor of Cornelius, Jeffrey Dalin, who says the city does not share Colgan’s views.

In his post, Colgan described Kirk as a ‘ghoul’ who supported guns on television after mass and school shootings. Although his post can no longer be found on Facebook, several people took screenshots of Colgan’s no-holds-barred comments.

A city councilor since 2019, Colgan is a teacher at Neil Armstrong Middle School in Forest grove, and the school district has confirmed that he is now on administrative leave.

School District Describes His Comments as Inflammatory

In an official statement, a spokesman for the Forest Grove School District said the inflammatory comments were made by Colgan while off duty, adding that the district does not ‘condone violence.’

‘Our top priority is to protect the right of students to a safe and welcoming learning environment, and our policies prohibit the sharing or teaching of personal political views in our school classrooms.’

Mayor Dalin also issued an official statement following the furor, confirming Colgan’s immediate resignation, and adding that the former city councilor ‘is deeply sorry for his comments and the harm they caused to the community and staff.’

Dalin states that he strongly condemns all acts of political violence or the actions they could incite. Instead, he is committed to fostering respectful dialogue and ensuring that the community feels safe to share their views without fear of intimidation, retaliation, or harm.