Bernville mayor’s online post in wake of Trump shooting leads to closing of borough office

An online post made by the mayor of Bernville following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday has received a mountain of backlash that has led the borough to temporarily close its offices.

Shawn Raup-Konsavage, a Democrat who has served as mayor since 2018, took to Facebook after the shooting at a Trump rally in western Pennsylvania and posted a message reading, “#PennsylvaniaProud. Try harder.”

Screenshots of the post were widely shared online, but Raup-Konsavage’s page and the original post can no longer be found in a search on Facebook. Raup-Konsavage could not be reached for comment.

The post created a firestorm, with other social media users sharing images of it and lambasting the mayor for what they believe is support for political violence. A petition has been created on the website Change.org demanding Raup-Konsavage be removed from his post.

As of Thursday morning it had more than 3,700 signatures, four times the number of people who live in Bernville.

People upset with the post have also been expressing their feelings by contacting other borough officials. A message issued Wednesday by borough council indicates Bernville’s municipal office has been flooded with calls and emails.

The message stresses that Raup-Konsavage’s post represented his personal feelings and did not represent an official stance of the borough. It goes on to say that because of the volume of communications the borough has been receiving about the post the borough office will be closed for the remainder of the week.

The message states that a borough council does not have the power to remove a mayor.

According to state law, all elected officials in Pennsylvania, including those at the county, municipal and school district level, are subject to an exclusive method for removal established in the state constitution.

Elected officials can be removed from office only by impeachment in the state General Assembly; by the governor for reasonable cause after due notice and a full hearing on the address of two-thirds of the Senate; or upon conviction of misbehavior in office or of any infamous crime in accordance with the constitution.

The statement from borough council reads in full:

“In response to the comments made on Facebook by Mayor Shawn Raup-Konsavage following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on Saturday, Bernville Borough Council issues the following statement:

“First, we want to send condolences and thoughts to the families of those individuals that were killed or injured at the event.

“As a body, Council wanted to advise the public that the statements made by Raup-Konsavage were on his own personal Facebook page. They were not authorized nor condoned by Borough Council. The views expressed were his own and not those of Council.

“In response to comments for Council to remove Raup-Konsavage as Mayor, under Pennsylvania law, Council for the Borough has no authority to remove a mayor.

“In consideration, we would ask that all communications to the Borough on this matter cease. The Borough or individual Council members will not respond to any further comments or inquiries on this subject.

“Please note that phone calls and messages are recorded, and any such communications considered threatening will be turned over to the police for investigation.

“In light of some of the communications the Borough has received, out of caution and for the protection of the employees, Borough Hall will be closed the remainder of this week. Should threatening communications continue, we will reevaluate the need to extend the closure of Borough Hall.

“If you have legitimate business with the Borough, please call 484-769-8594 or email brenda@bernvilleborough.org with the information and a representative will contact you.”