Impellizzeri has resigned from the council and is the subject of an investigation by his employer following backlash regarding a Facebook post he made last week about Kirk’s assassination, according to a report by Record-Courier.
“The world is a better place now that he’s gone,” Impellizzeri wrote in a Facebook post, reacting to the horrific and gruesome murder of Kirk, who was fatally shot while trying to have an open and respectful dialogue with a student at Utah Valley University on September 10.
While Impellizzeri has since deactivated his Facebook account, screenshots of his ghoulish post have circulated heavily on social media.
On Monday, City Council President Ross Widenor shared a copy of Impellizzeri’s resignation letter with the Beacon Journal.
“As requested, I officially resign,” the now-former city councilman wrote to Mayor Allen Mavrides. “It has been an honor working for Munroe Falls.”
Last week, before Impellizzeri resigned, Mayor Mavrides sent a letter to Munroe Falls residents, saying the city councilman’s remarks “were made through a personal social media account, and were not made through, or on, official social media.”
“The remarks are the Councilmember’s words alone,” the mayor wrote. “They are not reflective of the views of the city’s administration.”
“Staff and I have been responding to many calls and emails from residents and individuals nationwide concerned with social media comments made by a Councilmember regarding the passing of Charlie Kirk,” Mavrides added.
“We extend our condolences to the Kirk family members and those affected by the horrible events in Utah. The city’s administration does not condone violence of any kind and regrets any events that cause harm to any individual,” the mayor said.
Impellizzeri works as senior IT testing coordinator for the University Hospitals network, according to multiple reports.
University Hospitals spokeswoman Ansley Kelm told the Beacon Journal, “UH is aware of the post. We are currently conducting an investigation and, once completed, will take appropriate action.”
On Saturday, Impellizzeri told the newspaper he is in fear for his life after his hateful post went viral on social media, and claimed he was only trying to say Kirk was not a “good person,” but insisted he does not condone his murder.
“The assassination of Charlie Kirk was horrendous,” he said. “This was murder. It was completely unacceptable.”
Munroe Falls Police Chief Steve Dunton, meanwhile, said no threats were made to his department, and that he is unaware of any threats to other city departments. He also said he talked with Munroe Falls Fire Chief Lee Chafin who did not mention anything about threats to the city’s fire department.
“Normally, if something like that would happen, they would contact us,” Dunton said.
Impellizzeri is reportedly competing for the Munroe Falls Ward 3 City Council seat against Connie Collinson in the November 4 general election, according to the Summit County Board of Elections.
“Just because you have a computer or a phone handy doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want,” Cleveland attorney Danny Karon told 19 News.
The outlet noted that a Cleveland firefighter and an EMS staffer are both under internal investigation after the city’s Department of Public Safety was alerted to similar social media activity.
As Breitbart News reported, Anthony P. Luke, chief of the Cleveland Division of Fire, has been placed on administrative leave after publicly posting “incendiary” remarks following Kirk’s assassination.
The President of Fairview Park City Council, Michael Kilbane, has also reportedly resigned after his social media post about Kirk’s assassination went viral. Kilbane’s post read, “A lot of good people died today. He wasn’t one of them.”
“As it concerns kids, teachers, whoever is popping off, council people popping off online, saying awful, incendiary things, is not really smart. Why? Because a lot of us have codes of conduct, codes of ethics that control our work experiences,” Karon told 19 News.
“My workplace, as a non-governmental workplace, is not subject to the First Amendment limitations; they can fire me if it warrants. Why? If I’m not operating up to their expectations, I’m an at-will employee; they can fire me for anything they want, pretty much, and this pretty well qualifies,” he added.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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