Wilsonville board member resigns after 'disturbing' comments about Charlie Kirk shooting

(PORTLAND TRIBUNE) -- During the Monday, Sept. 15 City Council meeting, Wilsonville Mayor Shawn O’Neil addressed inflammatory comments made by Development Review Board member Clark Hildum in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. 

“Words matter. They can hear either heal or divide, calm or inflame. And on behalf of the City Council, I want to apologize for Clark Hildum’s conduct on DRB making those social media statements. It’s an embarrassment to the city,” said O’Neil. 

The posts on Facebook, included comments such as, “You have got to be kidding! The only person less Christian like than Charlie Kirk is Donald Trump. This country has no room for racist bigots like Kirk and Trump. When people go to church they should give thanks that Kirk is no longer with us,” and “They should give the shooter the presidential medal of freedom.” 

The Development Review Board is a two-panel citizen board in Wilsonville that enforces the city’s development code and development comprehensive plan. Each panel has five members, who serve two-year terms, and is meant to provide a quasi-judicial body to ensure legal and procedural fairness in development proposals and policy.  

The city provided the following statement regarding Hildum’s posts: “These disturbing comments do not reflect the sentiment of the City of Wilsonville, which condemns hate speech and the celebration of political violence, recognizing that these actions threaten the safety of every member of our community.”

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