OHIO — Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday he accepted the resignation of Susan Allan Block, the Ohio Arts Council board member who was under fire for supporting the riot at the Capitol Wednesday.
Block took to Facebook, backing President Donald Trump's claims of a fraudulent election, writing, “No Peace! No Unity! No Concession! No legitimacy to a stolen election!" and then called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris a derogatory name.
Elections officials found no evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Block, a Toledo native, has held her position since 2016 after being elected by then Gov. John Kasich. She was then reappointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019, and her term ends in 2024. She is also the wife of Allan Block, who is the chairman of Block Communications. It's the parent company of the newspaper the Toledo Blade.
Block is also the sister-in-law of John Block, who is the editor-in-chief of both The Blade and the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.
The company has been know to post editorial content in favor of the president, showing support for his policies.
Because of the recent news surrounding Block's comments, Blade reporters have announced a byline strike, which started Thursday afternoon and will last the rest of the week. That means none of the stories will show their bylines. The journalists claimed the paper is censoring their reporting on the Capitol attacks, and by removing bylines, it shows that they're still dedicated but don't support the Block's family views.
Susan Allan Block has since made her social media accounts private, and there are calls to boycott the Toledo Blade.
Block Communications released this statement in response:
“Social media posts by Susan Block represent her individual views as a private citizen; she has a first amendment right to freedom of speech and her opinions. Her views do not represent those of Block Communications, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Susan Block is not an employee, shareholder or Director of Block Communications, Inc. or any of its affiliates.”
The paper's union the BladeGuild also released this statement over Twitter:
We've heard from Blade readers concerned about the editorial decisions and online comments made by newspaper management and ownership regarding the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. We're taking a stand. Toledo deserves better. pic.twitter.com/mKTfLwiUPS
— BladeGuild ⚔️ (@bladeguild) January 8, 2021