HUDSON, Ohio — Despite Hudson Mayor Craig Shubert's concerns that it could ultimately lead to prostitution, the city has opened up ice fishing in the city.
City Council directed city staff to open ice fishing up Friday, following the mayor's concerns he outlined as a city council meeting Tuesday that made national headlines.
The city had been discussing lifting the ban on ice fishing at Hudson Springs Park when Shubert raised the point that the city’s fire department should be trained and have the capability to conduct ice rescues and that the fire chief should weigh in before any final decision is made.
After making that point, things took an interesting turn, with Shubert then voicing his concerns that ice fishing would lead to ice shanties which, for whatever reason, would lead to prostitution.
“Additionally, if you open this up to ice fishing, while on the surface it sounds good, then what happens next year?” Shubert said. “Does someone come back and say, ‘I want an ice shanty on Hudson Springs Park for X amount of time? And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem. Prostitution. Now you’ve got the police chief, police department involved."
A video of the city council meetings made the rounds on social media, garnering national attention and seeing Shubert roasted to no end.
After Shubert's comment went viral, the City of Hudson clarified that it had not had any issues regarding prostitution in the city.
On Friday, the city shared that ice fishing would be open at Hudson Springs Park, and signs were posted that warn fishers to do so at their own risk and requiring minors to be accompanied by an adult when ice fishing.
RELATED: Hudson mayor roasted for suggesting ice fishing could lure prostitutes to lake
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