Marseilles to keep social media policy despite commissioner’s suggestion to rescind it

After a lengthy discussion in front of its almost full chambers, the Marseilles City Council voted 3-2 against a resolution proposed by Commissioner Mike Scheib that the city rescind its social media policy affecting employees and city officials, which only went into effect in April.

Scheib, who handed out printed copies of his remarks so that those in attendance could follow his statement, believes the policy affecting city employees and its government officials was put in place to control free speech on a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook. He also feels the policy is contrary to the transparency free speech provides.

Those supporting the policy stand behind that it was derived from standards set forth by two entities to which Marseilles is among many paid members: Lexipol, a risk-management agency for governmental bodies, and the Illinois Municipal League.

Social media is absolutely a double-edged sword. The city uses it to keep people informed as to what’s going on, while other people use it as an attack page. We have both extremes … but we have a policy in place.”

—  Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck

Both Scheib and Commissioner Jim Buckingham voted for rescinding the policy, with Mayor Jim Hollenbeck and commissioners Melissa Small and Bobby Kaminski voting to keep the mandate as is.

“I can absolutely see his point,” Hollenbeck said. “Social media is absolutely a double-edged sword. The city uses it to keep people informed as to what’s going on, while other people use it as an attack page. We have both extremes … but we have a policy in place, written by those agencies, and if there are any situations where the policies need to be defended, they’ll be right there with us.”

The current social media policy was adopted at the height of the controversy regarding the purchase of the old IV Cellular building. Scheib said that his honesty in putting forth his opposition to the plan – saying that the funds could be put to better use elsewhere in town – was about transparency and not an effort to undermine the inner workings of the city’s government.

That some readers of his comments took the opportunity to bash other members of city government was, he believes, the reason the new policy was instituted in the first place – to control posts that could be perceived as detrimental to the city’s reputation.

A portion of the policy states “employees and officials occupy a trusted position in the community and, thus, their statements have the potential to contravene the policies and performance of the city,” and that “it is necessary that employees and officials representing the city be subject to certain reasonable limitation on their speech and expression.”

The ordinance also said that prohibited speech includes “speech and expression made pursuant to an official duty [that] tends to compromise or damage the mission, function, reputation or professionalism of the city, its officials or employees.”

Scheib believes the scope of the policy goes “beyond social media” and seeks to govern “responses to free speech, even if those responses are unintended and even unwelcome.”

Adding that he believes there are other means to remedy any possible slander and libel issues, Scheib reiterated several times that Marseilles “needs a social media policy, just not this social media policy.”

“What I am absolutely unwilling to abide by,” his statement read, “is a policy that discourages open and good-natured consideration of how we spend other people’s money.”

Small said that regardless of the policy, employees and officials should consider the consequences of their views before issuing them on social media.

“The policy puts into words the framework of how we should conduct ourselves,” Small said, “not just in our official capacities but when we’re anywhere. … I don’t feel it limits speech, that it’s OK if there are opposing view or rebuttals, but I do feel the community as a whole rightfully holds the officials to a higher standard.”