'I'm formally resigning, right now.' East Canton officer quits during council meeting

EAST CANTON ‒ An East Canton police officer abruptly resigned during a Village Council meeting.

In uniform, Andrea Mixon, 36, halted a discussion on inspections with council on Aug. 19, and approached Mayor David Spencer to make it clear she was done.

"I'm formally resigning, right now," she told Spencer, then left the room.

It was caught on camera. The meetings are recorded and posted on YouTube .

As seen on the video, Spencer and the other village officials, including council members, look perplexed and were briefly speechless after Mixon left.

There was a pause, with silent looks.

"The ... The ...," Councilman Nicholas Collins said trying to return to inspection talks.

Another pause.

Then officials resumed the discussion without acknowledging the resignation or the moment.

Later, Mixon, who could not be reached by the Canton Repository for comment, explained her decision with Cleveland's 19 News . The reasons included the department being short-staffed, the number of hours worked, pay rate and how she was treated after a police chase in June when she was shot at. She said the department never gave her time to recover from the incident.

“Working long hours, filling in for the shifts that we don’t have covered, and the low pay. I mean I was only working for $20 an hour in that area and I made it perfectly clear if certain things were not going to change, then I was going to resign,” Mixon told the Cleveland TV station.

Mixon had two different stints with the department: Three months in 2022, and four months in 2024. The latest stretch started April 7.

In an email on Wednesday, Spencer offered a response to the officer's resignation and concerns.

"I would like to wish officer Mixon the best in her future endeavors. We are committed to constantly improving each department within the village, including the police department," he said.

Spencer: East Canton officials are working to address concerns

In the same email, Spencer said council members granted pay raises for all officers at the same meeting on Aug. 19. The vote come near the end of the meeting, after Mixon resigned.

"I have been working with the council for two months to address pay rate for officers," Spencer said.

Spencer said part-time officers received an increase from $15 to $20 an hour and full-time officers went from $20 to $23 an hour. The pay rate for the sergeant position rose from $21.50 to $25 an hour.

"It's important to note that the pay rates for the PD have increased by about 67% in the last five years. While I would love to increase the rates even further, we have to work within our municipality's budget," he said.

The mayor also addressed the staffing issue, calling it a challenge "that has been exasperated by the Chief of Police being on (medical) leave. Further, officer Mixon was on leave for most of July.

"The village has three full-time officers in total. Not having two of those three full-time officers will inevitably lead to staffing struggles. I am confident that with the change in pay rates, the village will be able to recruit more officers," Spencer said.

He ended his email with: "I expect that by the end of September, the department will be in a much better position," also thanking the "committed officers of the East Canton Police Department for their dedication."

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com . On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: 'I'm formally resigning, right now.' East Canton officer quits during council meeting