Community divided over Co Exec. demand for educator to resign
SALISBURY, Md. — Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano is standing by her demand that a local educator step down over social media comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.
“At the end of the day the majority of the people stood by me and I understand there’s always going to be people who don’t agree with every decision we make,” Giordano said.
Community members are divided on Giordano’s demand for Salisbury Middle School teacher Jay Waggoner to resign immediately, after he posted a meme on Facebook about Charlie Kirk’s death.
Some believing the post from Waggoner condones political violence, with other community members claiming Giordano is abusing her power as County Executive to silence Waggoner’s opinion.
“What are your elected officials for, right? They’re there to be your voice, you put those people forward to be your voice. I am an at large seat, so I represent the entire county,” Giordano said.
Salisbury City Council President, D’Shawn Doughty responding to the matter, reminding residents that we must “hold ourselves to a higher standard which means choosing kindness over cruelty, and compassion over division.”
Adding that “freedom of speech and privacy are values we all hold dear, but how we use those freedoms matters. Words should never minimize violence or loss.”
Several county council members declined to speak on Giordano’s letter but indicated they’re concerned about fall out and disruptions to the Board of Education’s protocol as a result of the situation.
Giordano shared this message Friday night: “You are going to have voices out there in the world that you agree with and voices that you don’t agree with, and I think that’s what makes America so great.”
Wicomico County Council Vice President Jeff Merritt is calling the situation “unfortunate,” writing in part “The County Executive did not allow the process to take place… and hopefully this doesn’t cause any unnecessary litigation for the County. We are confident the mechanisms we already have in place will properly deal with the issue at hand.”
