OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) – Four individuals who stay in Ogdensburg are suing Mayor MIke Skelly, boasting Skelly blocked them from his Fb page.
The four declare “the blocked consumers cannot see or take part in any conversations relating to the City business reflected in the Mayor’s posts” and simply because of that, their constitutional legal rights are being violated.
Contacted by 7 Information Tuesday morning, Mayor Skelly had no comment.
The four – Cynthia Layng, Douglas Loffler, Brian Mitchell, and Angela McRoberts – declare in a federal lawsuit filed Friday in Plattsburgh that Skelly blocked just about every of them after they ended up critical of the mayor on his Facebook web page.
Skelly’s “viewpoint-centered exclusion of (the persons suing) from his official Fb profile filters the speech in that forum and triggers a chilling effect for many others from similarly expressing dissenting viewpoints,” according to the lawsuit.
They’re asking a judge to get Skelly to unblock them, and not block anyone else. They are also trying to get revenue.
Fundamentally, they claim Skelly takes advantage of his Fb site as a spot to go over metropolis enterprise.
According to the lawsuit:
– In the situation of Layng, in a discussion of a town council assembly, she utilised the phrase “idiots” to describe some of the folks commenting. That prompted Skelly to block her.
– In the circumstance of Loffler, he criticized Skelly’s leadership expertise soon after Skelly released a Facebook article, stating he preferred blue gentle bulbs at the Ogdensburg hearth division taken down. These bulbs had been positioned to honor an Ogdensburg metropolis police officer who dedicated suicide. Skelly blocked him.
– In the circumstance of Mitchell, he was blocked twice, at the time in November 2020 for making a “dissenting comment” and then – owning certain Skelly to unblock him – was blocked again in December when he questioned just one of Skelly’s Facebook posts about the fire section.
– In the situation of McRoberts, she was blocked following inquiring queries about town supervisor Stephen Jellie’s skills to be city supervisor.
The lawsuit statements other men and women – not named – have also been blocked.
Late Tuesday afternoon, City Supervisor Stephen Jellie issued the subsequent assertion:
The Town of Ogdensburg will address the subject presented by the so-known as “Citizen’s Watch Group” as it pertains to the Mayor when official notification is been given from a court of jurisdiction that has not yet happened regardless of the hurry by this so-termed team to claim credit rating for the most recent exploit to impede the progress of the metropolis. It is unlucky that a extremely little group of people today proceeds to endeavor the disruption of metropolis government and to in excess of toss an election they did not like the results of. Their motion in the identify of defending the local community and looking for transparency is a vailed (sic) endeavor to hide the actual agenda of drawing consideration to fictional tales of corruption, completely wrong-performing and mismanagement. Their behavior in general public, on social media and at metropolis council meetings does not mirror citizens attempting to be heard they are unprofessional, impolite, foul-mouthed, intoxicated, invasive, threatening and intend only to develop controversy so vital business enterprise are unable to be achieved these are not the functions of citizens.
Mayor Skelly’s administration is operating tirelessly to assure the survival of the city given that defeating a thoroughly dysfunctional administration that led the city to the brink of individual bankruptcy and once defeated they took hasty motion to solidify irresponsible and unaffordable contracts with the Law enforcement and Fireplace Unions, all in an try to generate a wedge concerning the new Town Administration and its Unions, which it was productive in performing. The rhetoric filled actions of this team so-identified as “Citizen’s Watch” is shameless and none of it will be forgotten by the Town electorate when it seriously matters. Mayor Skelly and the Town Workforce continue to be concentrated on entirely strengthening community security, lessening taxes, advancing the local financial state and offering environment-class recreational facilities for the youth. The revival of the Metropolis begun some time in the past and the City calls on this modest group to cease the self-serving, mob-like conduct that only serves to stall progress and be part of the progressive endeavours necessary to increase the local community for long run generations.
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