Jeff Wieler quits as Piedmont mayor, stays on council after Facebook uproar

Piedmont's City Hall is seen on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. In January of 1907, Piedmonters voted to incorporate and on January 31 became residents of the state’s newest city. Piedmont's City Hall is seen on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. In January of 1907, Piedmonters voted to incorporate and on January 31 became residents of the state’s newest city. Photo: Adam Lau, The Chronicle Photo: Adam Lau, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Jeff Wieler quits as Piedmont mayor, stays on council after Facebook uproar 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Piedmont Mayor Jeff Wieler stepped down Sunday, one day before the City Council was scheduled to vote on whether to remove him over controversial social media posts about Democrats and transgender people that prompted outrage in the community.

Wieler resigned his position in a letter to the city administrator. However, he said he will remain a member of the City Council until he is termed out in November 2018.

In Piedmont, mayors are not elected but appointed by fellow council members, and the tradition is to appoint the person with the most seniority. The position is ceremonial — it has no special powers — but the mayor runs public hearings and often represents the city during events and meetings around the region.

Vice Mayor Bob McBain is now acting mayor of Piedmont, an affluent city of 11,353 surrounded on all sides by Oakland. None of the council members, including the mayor, is paid.

At an Aug. 21 council meeting, city resident Conna McCarthy — the daughter of Leo McCarthy, the late former lieutenant governor of California — read some of Wieler’s alleged Facebook comments aloud, including “Black Lives Matter encourages cop killing,” “Democrats are the plantation slave masters of today,” and “Transgenders are mentally ill.”

Wieler could not be reached for comment Sunday. In his resignation letter, he said that his continued role as mayor “is no longer tenable for the City Council.”

“After a quarter century of volunteering for Piedmont in various roles, I regret the impact this has had upon the city I love and the men and women in the staff who do such a fine job for our citizens,” he wrote.

In another statement, he said his Facebook posts were “inappropriate” and that the episode had been “embarrassing.” He noted his behavior came as the “country is going through a very difficult period.”

“We have a president who has coarsened the national dialogue and made many people feel insulted,” Wieler said. “No matter what you think of his policies and programs, this is a reality that I and many other Republicans are coming to acknowledge.”

“I apologize deeply for the pain I’ve caused,” he said. “Going forward, I will restrict my Facebook posts to pictures of our pets and vacation pictures. Fortunately, I’ve never tweeted!”

Councilman Tim Rood said Sunday that while Wieler conducted himself professionally as mayor, it was appropriate for him to step down. He said he found some of Wieler’s comments to be “offensive and lacking in empathy and compassion.”

“The mayor’s gavel is a privilege granted by the council,” Rood said, “and as Piedmont’s representative to the broader community, the mayor has a special responsibility to represent the entire community in an inclusive and affirming way, regardless of the forum.”

Councilwoman Jen Cavenaugh said she had heard from more than 100 residents upset by Wieler’s posts.

“Our community has been really clear that this is not reflective of who we are and what we value,” she said. “What’s been amazing to me is how many people have spoken out for the first time.”

Cavenaugh and her colleagues do not have the power to remove Wieler from the council. Asked if he should resign from the council, she said, “If he feels his actions have somehow compromised his ability to serve as mayor, the question should be, ‘How different is that from sitting on the council?’”

Chronicle staff writer Filipa Ioannou contributed to this report.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@ctuan