Report: Nearly 95 percent of America’s mayors face harassment, threats and violence

In today’s divided socioeconomic landscape—one that’s rife with political angst—harassment of mayors has become commonplace, especially against minority leaders. Women mayors and mayors of color face more frequent and acute incidents of harassment and violence, according to new research from the advocacy organizations Equity Agenda and the Mayors Innovation Project.

Nearly half of all women mayors said they experienced harassment monthly and almost 10 percent received regular threats.

“Local officials, including mayors, election administrators and school board members are experiencing political violence,” said Heidi Gerbracht, founder of Equity Agenda. “They are also the heart of American democracy, serving from within their communities, which also puts them in harm’s way.”

The implications of this latest report are sweeping.

“Mayors should not have to weigh their decision to run for office—or stay in office—based on these kinds of abhorrent threats,” said Katya Spear, managing director of the Mayors Innovation Project, about the report, “Intersectional Psychological Violence, Threats, and Physical Violence against Mayors in 2021.” If things don’t change, there’s “potential to increase the already striking gender and racial parity gap present among executive elected officials.”

Nearly 70 percent of all mayors said they “knew someone who chose not to run for office due to these issues. And 32.2 percent thought about leaving office themselves,” reads report, which was compiled by researchers from Oklahoma State University. Academics polled 971 mayors in the fall of 2021. The publication’s authors include Rebekah Herrick, Sue Thomas, Heidi Gerbracht, Ceri Jenkins and Emily Miota.

Broadly speaking, harassment of mayors has become a big problem over the last few years. Across all mayoral demographic categories, “94.5 percent of all mayors reported psychological violence at least once, with 24.2 percent reporting at least one threat, and 15.8 percent suffering physical violence” in the last year. Psychological violence is defined in the report as acts that induce fear or otherwise inflicts harm on someone’s self-worth. The report specifically focuses on the intersectionality of psychological violence, threats and physical violence (against self or property) against mayors with a focus on gendered, sexualized and race-based harassment.

A little more than 60 percent of all women mayors said they endure psychological violence on a regular monthly basis. And 17 percent of women of color and 10 percent of white women reported being sexually harassed monthly, including being called sexual slurs, having photographs posted online, receiving intimidating messages on social media and fielding verbally abusive emails or phone calls.

These attacks are compounded by “Overlapping identities, especially officeholders from marginalized groups,” which “affect how mayors experience their public and professional worlds,” the report notes.

For example, “mayors of color received more threats of death and beatings than other groups, and almost 20 percent of mayors of color said they regularly received harassment based on their race,” according to a statement issued by the organizations about the report.

As an example of some of the behaviors, the report shares the experience of Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise, Idaho. In 2020, McLean experienced “alarming abuse and violence” against her and her family “In the form of mail, email and social media threats, online tracking of her children, protests at her home with people carrying torches, and more,” the report says.

“Mayor McLean and her family have endured what public servants should never confront. Her city has had to provide a security detail to keep her safe. What is more, she has reached out to other women mayors and learned that the threat is widespread. Among the mayors from whom she heard, some have felt unable to remain in public service. At this writing, Mayor McLean and her family have decided to continue to serve their community despite the grave danger they face as evidenced by thwarted plots to harm her and her family.”