From USA Today
Mayor John Molony wants "beauty-disadvantaged women" to know that they’re always welcome in his "bloke-heavy" Australian mining town.
"May I suggest if there are five blokes to every girl, we should find out where there are beauty-disadvantaged women and ask them to proceed to Mount Isa," Molony tells the Townsville Bulletin. "Quite often you will see walking down the street a lass who is not so attractive with a wide smile on her face. Whether it is recollection of something previous or anticipation for the next evening, there is a degree of happiness.
"Often those who are beauty-disadvantaged are unhappy with their lot. Some, in other places in Australia, need to proceed to Mount Isa where happiness awaits," he says. "And, really, beauty is only skin deep. Isn’t there a fairy tale about an ugly duckling that evolves into a beautiful swan?"
Those comments aren’t sitting well with some locals.
One woman tells the Brisbane Times "there just aren’t top quality men here."
Some of the city’s women plan to hold a protest.
"It’s offensive to women everywhere, let alone women in Mount Isa," Betty Kiernan, a member of the Far North Queensland parliament, tells the Bulletin.
Molony stood by his comments during a follow-up interview with the local newspaper. When the Associated Press called, the mayor wouldn’t elaborate on his remarks, telling a reporter they had been "twisted and warped."