KYLE, Texas — Kyle City Council accepted Claudia Zapata’s resignation from its District 3 seat during a special meeting Monday, after she said threats and harassment contributed to her decision to step down. The city approved a special election for Dec. 12 to choose her successor. Zapata submitted her resignation to the city secretary on Sept. 25, and it took effect Oct. 3, according to city documents. She had taken office less than a year earlier. Although she was not at Monday’s meeting in person, she addressed council members by video before the vote and described leaving as a decision marked by “enormous grief.” “What happened to me was not simply harsh political criticism,” Zapata said. She alleged that the conduct included threats, sexualized abuse, attempts to reveal information connected to her home and sustained efforts to destabilize her. In a social media statement, she also cited racist, homophobic, fatphobic and sexist comments, conspiracy theories and degrading AI-generated images. Zapata said many of the comments appeared in Facebook groups focused on Kyle politics and current events. The claims have not been independently established. Mayor Yvonne Flores-Cale said criticism of elected officials is protected, but comments that amount to credible threats may become a law-enforcement matter. “We should not minimize what she has alleged,” Flores-Cale said, while cautioning against treating alleged conduct as criminal before facts are established. She said the city should not make findings about unresolved allegations or act as a referee in political disputes. The Kyle Police Department had been asked whether it was investigating Zapata’s claims; no response was included in the information available at the meeting. Under the city charter and state law, Zapata must continue serving until her successor is sworn in. City documents say she will not receive her salary if she chooses not to attend council meetings and could face other action by the council. The election to fill the seat must take place by the end of January, and the city has set the Dec. 12 vote.