Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents fault council social-media posts and blocking amid sheriff contract fight
Summary
Multiple residents criticized Chair Mike Johnson's social-media posts about the sheriff contract and said being blocked from comment pages reduced public input; one resident warned blocking could raise First Amendment issues if posts are governmental in nature.
During public comment, several residents criticized council social-media activity and alleged they were blocked after posting corrections or criticisms. Moren Gilbert and Ashley Zimmerman described posts by Council Chair Mike Johnson on unaffiliated Facebook pages about the sheriff contract and budget; both said they were blocked and argued that blocking citizens on a page the chair used to convey council-related views was inappropriate.
Ashley Zimmerman said the chair posted as both a private citizen and "as the chair" and warned that if the account is used to disseminate official council communications, then blocking constituents may raise First Amendment concerns. "If he's using his account not for strictly personal reasons, but to disseminate official counsel and government communications... he cannot block a citizen," Zimmerman said during public comment.
Other public commenters urged civility and more accurate information from elected officials, and several residents said they feel social media has amplified misinformation about the sheriff contract and the town budget. Chair Mike Johnson responded that he does not control how content is deleted or who is blocked on third-party pages and said he posted information; he also noted he corrected factual errors when told.
Why it matters: Residents framed the dispute as both substantive (factual accuracy about sheriff coverage and budget tradeoffs) and procedural (whether a chair's social-media actions constrain public participation); legal questions about blocking on government-related social-media accounts can arise but depend on how accounts are used.
What's next: No formal complaint or legal action was filed at the meeting; the issue may continue to be raised in public comment and in the June 9 election discourse.
