Council schedules May 13 hearing after outside investigator finds social-media ties tying councilmember to anonymous 'Weasel' page that likely misled public

The Indian Trail Town Council voted at its April 8 meeting to schedule a hearing on May 13 to consider whether to censure Councilmember Todd Barber after an independent investigator concluded Barber's personal political page and a Facebook account now named "Indian Trail Weasel Report" retain a digital and public link that likely misleads residents about the page's authorship.

The outside investigator's report, prepared by a municipal-law practitioner hired by the council, reviewed the page's published history, advertisements and page-name changes. It found: the page began as a councilmember's political page with the councilmember's name, later changed its name to the Weasel Report and retained the earlier page's followers and prior posts; advertisements and archived posts showed the older page ran political ads for the councilmember; and the page continues to display prior posts that were written in the first person by the councilmember. The investigator concluded those facts create a reasonable public impression that the councilmember is affiliated with or responsible for the Weasel's content and that the page's presentation tends to mislead the public.

The investigator also reviewed the town's social-media policy and code of ethics and said the page's link to the councilmember likely violates the policy's requirement that board members provide truthful, factual information and avoid misleading the public. The report emphasized that the question for the council is credibility under a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard rather than what a court might require in other contexts.

Council action and Barber's response

At the meeting, council members debated the investigative findings and the procedural path forward. Councilmembers said they were frustrated by repeated social-media posts that, they said, have misrepresented town employees and council actions and have strained staff relations. Council voted to schedule a public hearing on May 13 during a council meeting to give Barber an opportunity to present rebuttal evidence and to allow the council to consider potential censure.

Barber said at the meeting he had received the report only the previous week and asked for a hearing date that gives him adequate time to prepare; he requested a longer period (he suggested four months). Council members generally counseled that a shorter preparation window (several weeks to a month) would be adequate; the council ultimately set the hearing for May 13.

Ending

The hearing will be a public council meeting agenda item on May 13. No censure action was taken April 8; the May hearing will allow Barber to respond and the council to vote on whether to censure after hearing evidence and argument.