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Residents and council speakers urge civility amid local divisions; accusations and rebuttals aired at public comment
Summary
Public speakers and council members at the June 8 meeting decried divisive social‑media attacks and personal accusations, with one resident apologizing for past campaign conduct and another publicly rebutting allegations about influence and planning‑board ethics.
Public comment at the Weddington Town Council’s June 8 meeting centered on town divisions and the tone of local discourse.
Amarie, a public commenter, told the council the town has become more divided in recent months and urged residents and officials to own their part in the breakdown of civil conversation. She acknowledged differences of opinion among residents but said social media and anonymous attacks have magnified wounds and discouraged productive engagement.
"We have allowed gossip to take place of real conversation," Amarie said, urging people to look inward. She also offered a personal apology for campaign conduct involving a family member and asked the council to model accountability.
Resident Bill Deer used his public‑comment time to rebut statements made at a prior meeting by another commenter, Christopher Neve, who had alleged inappropriate influence and planning‑board ethics violations. Deer called those statements "slanderous" and said he has supported candidates like many residents do and had no pending development with the town when he made political contributions.
Council members responded by urging unity and reminding attendees that disagreement is healthy, but that attacking staff or making unfounded accusations harms town governance. Mayor Bell and other council members stressed that staff and volunteers perform important civic work and asked residents to avoid personal attacks.
