A Neil Armstrong Middle School teacher and Cornelius City Councilor suspended by the Forest Grove School District over remarks made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has resigned from his city council position.
In now-deleted remarks made on his Facebook page following the killing of Kirk, John Colgan called Kirk a "fucking ghoul."
"Hearing that Charlie Kirk got shot and died really brightened up my day," he said in comments that were screenshotted and ricocheted across social media.
"Nobody deserves it, but some are asking for it," he added.
In statement issued Friday afternoon, Cornelius Mayor Jeffrey Dalin said Colgan had resigned from his post on the city council Friday afternoon.
"In his resignation, he expressed that he is deeply sorry for his comments and the harm they caused to our community and staff. Effective immediately, he has resigned from City Council," Dalin said.
"The comments made by Former City Councilor Colgan on social media do not reflect my values or the values of the City of Cornelius," Dalin added.
The Forest Grove School District initially described his remarks as inflammatory on Sept. 11.
"These comments were made on his private social media account while off duty," the district said.
"The District does not condone violence nor the celebration of 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," the district said.
The next day, the district said Colgan, a science teacher, had been suspended.
"We recognize the harm caused by our staff member’s post and we are taking the situation seriously," the district said. "Consistent with our policies, we have placed this staff member on paid administrative leave and we are conducting an investigation. We are committed to keeping families informed as the process moves forward."
