To the editor:
As the Village Administrator for South Roxana, I am addressing the concerns and narrative presented in a letter previously submitted by a resident. The claim that citizens want the mayor to resign is nothing more than a catchy title.
A small segment of members of a South Roxana Facebook group is comprised of toxic and untruthful individuals who block positive news, kick people who respond with facts, remove other elected officials and employees to prevent them from seeing what is being said about them to the community, and then post with anonymous and fake accounts to further their cause.
This Facebook page and its moderators have gone as far as blocking information to its community about a Christmas event for children. They even refused to show up to support the community and our children.
A member of this group, who happens to be a village trustee and is running for mayor, took to Facebook and admitted to using a fake account, which was approved by her best friend under this alias account. The trustee talked ill of the governing board, claiming they all need to be replaced even though this particular board member is one of them, then posted comments trying to downplay Mayor Callahan's accomplishment of obtaining his doctorate.
I do not believe the citizens who elected our governing board would appreciate such deceptive measures taken by this group to discredit their vote.
I want to shed some light on the letter's claims. I attended a meeting between the author and Mayor Callahan at the village hall. She told the mayor she was trying to form a citizen committee from the Facebook group and planned to meet on Sundays before a village hall meeting.
Mayor Callahan informed her he would gladly attend and answer people's questions about the town.
She responded that said she would get a hold of the mayor Sunday evening.
Mayor Callahan advised she had reached out to him multiple times that day, but he was busy with his family and unable to respond. Mayor Callahan said she called, emailed, and then privately messaged him on Facebook. Mayor Callahan stopped by the Dad’s Club to see what she needed and answer any questions this newly formed group may have.
Mayor Callahan said he was never told before showing up at the meeting that the event was private.
She told him she was inviting citizens to attend through Facebook. Mayor Callahan believed, as a town citizen and mayor, why would a group of people have questions about a town be open to citizens but not to him?
Mayor Callahan is passionate and has already had conversations about the incident with people who were present. Mayor Callahan apologized if he offended or startled anyone. When the mayor has been the nonstop focus of the repeated attacks by this group, sometimes frustration gets the best of you. The mayor said that when he repeatedly asked what questions they had, and no questions were ever given, he knew then this was just another rouse by this specific group to try and tarnish his image.
The mayor's attendance was intended as a gesture of openness and willingness to engage directly with the citizens' concerns. Unfortunately, the manner of this engagement and the ensuing interactions did not convey the intended message of cooperation and support.
To err is human, and to apologize is commendable when a difference of opinion presents itself.
Of course, this letter ignores those truths because they do not fit her narrative and the much-desired attention people are clamoring for.
The ongoing debate revolves around the distinction between free speech and harassment or intimidation. While one party's expression is often defended as a fundamental right, opposing viewpoints challenging their statements can sometimes be labeled as harassment. In my perspective, individuals should indeed have the freedom to express their preferences and support their chosen candidates. However, when these expressions escalate into making defamatory or libelous remarks, they undermine the very protections they seek to uphold.
Bob Coles
Village Administrator