Tyus Byrd made history when she was elected the first black mayor of Parma, a small town in Missouri. But, her victory was greeted with mass resignations of the civic officials of Parma.

Almost the entire police force of this rural hamlet quit after Byrd’s win on April 14. Six of its 11 employees — including the police chief, city clerk and water department supervisor — put in their papers citing ‘safety concerns’. Byrd will now have to find replacements for them.

Speaking to the St. Louis Dispatch after her win, Byrd said she was baffled by the resignations. She said she was not sure why the city employees quit.

I don’t understand. I never said anything about cleaning house.
-Tyus Byrd, Parma Mayor

But, the cops claim race did not play a role in employees stepping down. Trish Cohen, former police chief, alleged that the cops feared for their safety as their home addresses had been shared by Byrd’s family, reports Dailymail.

A number of Parma’s residents are also speculating that employees might have quit out of loyalty to Mr. Ramsey.

40-year-old Byrd, a homemaker grew up in Parma. She briefly served as city clerk about eight years ago and also worked as a missionary.

Byrd won by 122 votes to 84 votes. She defeated the white mayor Randall Ramsey, who had served 36 years as mayor including the last two terms.

There are approximately 700 people living in the Parma and, according to the US Census Bureau, 60 per cent of them are white and 40 per cent are black.