Thurmont Commissioners Discuss Banning Public Comment On Facebook Page

The Board of Commissions plan to vote on Tuesday, June 20.Thurmont, Md. (BW)- The Thurmont Board of Commissioners discussed Tuesday, June 13, the possibility of banning the public from commenting on the official Town of Thurmont Facebook page.Mayor John Kinnaird led the discussion Tuesday. He said his main concern was creating a good reputation of the town through it’s social media.The town’s Facebook account has seen some vulgar comments as well as unnecessary opinions expressed in the comment section of several posts.Kinnaird encourages residents to discuss their concerns or opinions in person at board of commissioners meetings or during regular business hours at the town’s office.He said the comment section on the Facebook account has just become a place for people to rant.The town’s social media policy states that the town’s use of social media platforms can be used for either or both of two reasons. One use is to disseminate information and the other is to invite public comment.Thurmont commissioners said they want to move away from inviting public comment on the Facebook page and simply use the platform as a way to disseminate information.Some residents have expressed concerns that this resolution takes away their first amendment rights, however, Facebook is a private company and users are permitted to block public comment.The Board of Commissioners planned to vote on this resolution on June 13, but delayed it a week due to the absence of two members.The Board proposed this resolution a few months ago.