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Residents accuse council members of reporting critics on Nextdoor; calls for transparency
Summary
Multiple residents alleged that council members (including Council member Weber and Mayor Kleinman) used Nextdoor moderation or multiple accounts to report opponents of the Civic Center police proposal; speakers called for council members to remove themselves from review teams and for more transparent public outreach.
Several residents used the public‑comment period to accuse local officials of using Nextdoor moderation to suppress dissent about the Civic Center police proposal. Lynn Swain said she had "evidence" that Council member Sarah Weber reported residents opposing the Civic Center project, and that her posts opposing the proposal had been reported; she asked whether elected officials should use their positions "to report or silence residents."
Susan Skinner and others said elected officials serving on a Nextdoor review team create an appearance of conflict and urged those officials to step down from the board. "Both Miss Kleiman and Miss Weber should remove themselves from the review team of Nextdoor if only to restore confidence that they are not putting their thumb on the scale of public discussion," Skinner said.
City staff and council did not make a formal finding on the allegations during the meeting. Commenters said the claims relate to broader questions of transparency and public trust and asked for town halls and clearer public information. Council and staff acknowledged the public concern and repeated that outreach and FAQs will be part of further engagement if the study proceeds.
