Jackson, Wyoming Mayor Pete Muldoon says he will address calls for him to resign and the controversy that has arisen from a newspaper story about the public release of Teton County Sheriff’s department records including those of a 2018 investigation into an alleged first degree sexual assault. He said he would speak about it at the Monday evening Jackson Town Council meeting.
The Mayor, as reported in the Jackson Hole News and Guide, has said the release of those law enforcement reports on the assault investigation is a violation of Wyoming law and that the assault allegations are false.
The reports were obtained by Teton County resident Gloria Courser using a Freedom of Information Act request to local law enforcement.
Courser said “I have, perhaps, an idealistic confidence in the electoral process. I believe the power of the people is exercised through the vote. For this reason, I am not a huge supporter of movements to remove or impeach politicians.”
“My decision to share the records I received from TCSO was not with the motive to have Pete removed from his position as Mayor but rather to provide information that may advise voters on their choices in the upcoming election.” she said.
“It is no secret that I have been often in opposition to Mayor Muldoon since his run for Mayor in 2016. This opposition is not limited to his position on health orders that I believe are a breach of civil liberties. I find him to be divisive, duplicitous, and disingenuous.”
Courser added, “Ironically, I have always felt his personality to be very similar to the very President that he seems to despise.”
Over the weekend, the effort started on social media to demand Muldoon’s resignation when a local resident posted a Facebook entry in support of victims of sexual assault.
“I can no longer stand by, as a fellow sexual assault victim, in my own community, is dragged through the mud. A woman who is getting re-victimized by Mayor Pete Muldoon,” a woman said. “I am calling on all women, all fellow survivors, on all my fellow decent Jackson residents, on all our local candidates and electeds who have remained silent on this issue, to demand Pete Muldoon resign from his position as Mayor,” she said.
That viral post and other posts received considerable attention with many echoing calls for Muldoon’s ouster.
The News and Guide linked their story to their Facebook page and after initially moderating inflammatory comments on the post, decided to remove the it altogether. News and Guide Editor Johanna Love said, “Comments on the post had devolved into name-calling and threats of violence. We stand by the article. However, we chose to remove the post from Facebook.”
Mayoral candidate and vice-mayor Hailey Morton Levinson joined Teton County Commission Chairwoman Natalia Macker in issuing the following statement on their respective Facebook pages, “We know our system is broken if we have victims who fear seeking help or speaking up because someone is in a position of power. Our trust in our institutions is diminishing and it is up to each of us, including those of us in power, to fight to keep them whole. There is misogyny at work in our society, in our laws, and in our community. We see it and live it too. I, along with Commissioner Natalia Macker, remain committed to using our place of privilege, power, and influence to address sexual assault and gender-based violence. We must name oppression and injustice when we see it and immediately work to dismantle it by changing policies, norms, language, and practices. Laws alone won’t fix this, but they are one of the places we have to start, and we will be working with legislators to make changes to statutes. As leaders, we must not perpetuate the systemic and structural barriers that allow oppression in any form to exist. Community Safety Network provides a safe place for people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in Jackson, Wyoming. If you need help, please call 307-733-SAFE (7233)”
Jim Rooks, a candidate for Town Council reacted to the push for Muldoon to resign writing, “I haven’t called for Mr. Muldoon to step down. I think it would be better for the citizens of Jackson to vote him out of office. Pete has been a divisive and embarrassing representative of our community. I think power and ego have been corroding Pete’s ability to lead. I think a majority of the community is tired of his outrageous behavior. There is no reason to ask him to step down, because he never will. Power never gives of itself freely and I don’t think Pete will leave until he is made to do so.”
Town council candidate Jessica Sell Chambers posted on her Facebook account, “I recognize people are awaiting a comment from me on the recent article. I too am a victim and this situation hits closer to home than many of you realize. I respectfully ask that you grant me the time to fully grasp how this affects me and how I would like to respond.”
The Mayor, who is now running for a seat on the Jackson Town Council, in an email to Jackson Hole Radio said he will address this at the Monday night’s regularly scheduled Town Council meeting. That meeting begins at 6pm.
