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Residents demand resignation or recall of councilwoman over social-media posts; council hears wide-ranging public comment
Summary
More than a dozen residents spoke during public comment Sept. 22, criticizing Councilwoman Dana Schenck's social‑media posts and urging resignation or recall; council took no formal action on the allegations at the meeting.
Dozens of residents used the City of Geneva Council public-comment period on Sept. 22 to criticize social-media posts by Councilwoman Dana Schenck, to call for her resignation and to ask how to pursue recall; no formal council action was taken at the meeting.
Multiple speakers recounted screenshots of posts and described the tone of the material as inflammatory. “You need to resign,” said David Perdue, who identified himself as a former council member, addressing Schenck by name. Chris Laidlaw, a resident who spoke earlier about zoning, said “Councilwoman Schenck must resign” and asked how constituents can trust her ability to represent all residents regardless of political affiliation. Several other speakers echoed those calls during the meeting.
Other residents urged restraint and cautioned against curbing speech. Susan Hagan told council she feared a decline in respect for First Amendment protections and urged the body to balance that liberty against community standards. Bill Baker urged fellow residents not to be silent and said he had reviewed the original material to understand context.
Council President Barbot and other council members did not take up any formal disciplinary or removal action during the meeting. A question from the audience about recall procedure prompted the president to say that recall information is available online; a city attorney or clerk was not recorded initiating a formal proceeding at the meeting.
Speakers also raised concerns about safety and harassment tied to the online exchanges. Margie Netzel said the online dispute had escalated beyond social media and that she had asked neighbors whether they felt safe. Several other residents recounted receiving or seeing screenshots and messages they described as threatening or demeaning.
Ending: The meeting record shows a sustained, heated public-comment period; council members acknowledged the volume of comment but did not announce any immediate investigatory or disciplinary action at the Sept. 22 meeting.
