At every level of our government, we are witnessing a lack of respect by elected officials for the office they hold and the people they serve.

One of the core purposes of the First Amendment is to allow people, regardless of their views, to hold the government accountable through expression. If a government official’s Facebook page or Twitter, etc. includes references to their official position or discusses government information, then the page becomes a space for public speech and First Amendment protections apply.

It is unconstitutional for a representative to create a social media page, where they inform the public about their government work and solicit input on policy, and then restrict people with critical viewpoints from posting or viewing content.

Council members Skillicorn, Toth, Kalivianakis and Friedel have allegedly illegally blocked many of their constituents (without cause) from their Facebook pages and Twitter. They don’t want everyone to see the sorts of things they post on social media and/or they don’t want to hear a viewpoint different from their own. Many of Councilman Skillicorn’s postings in particular are juvenile and hateful toward Democrats who make up a good portion of his constituency.

These same four Council members claim to be transparent and to want to bring unity through prayer to our community. Their words do not match their actions. Division is their game.

Council members are responsible for representing the best interests of the entire community. How can they do that if they are stifling communication?