Ohio mayor concerned ice shanties on city lake could lead to prostitution

HUDSON, Ohio — The mayor of an upscale city outside Cleveland is making headlines again for a remark at a recent City Council meeting that allowing ice fishing shanties on a city lake could lead to prostitution.

Hudson Mayor Craig Shubert during the meeting last week said he wanted to raise some “data points” during a discussion about whether to permit people to fish on the frozen lake.

“Does someone come back next year and say, ‘I want an ice shanty on Hudson Springs Park for x amount of time?’” Shubert said. “And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem — prostitution. Now you’ve got the police chief and the police department involved.”

Messages seeking comment were left with Shubert.

Shubert issued a statement to WJW-TV in Cleveland saying his comment about ice shanties and prostitution stemmed from his experience as a television news reporter covering law enforcement agencies that have arrested people for prostitution in shanties.

“When discussing proposed legislation, it is wise to discuss the potential for unintended consequences,” Shubert said in the statement.