Social media controversies divide NC town council. It could hurt Indian Trail, leaders say
Social media drama is bleeding over into public meetings of the Indian Trail Town Council and creating “grid lock” to progress in the Charlotte-area community, current and former town leaders say.
The friction is rooted in a Facebook page, the Indian Trail Weasel Report. It’s an account some leaders in the Union County town of about 42,800 located 30 minutes southeast of Charlotte say is the source of false information being spread with the help of Council member Todd Barber.
“It’s just been one big, huge mess,” Council member Dennis Gay said.
But Barber says he hasn’t been involved with the Facebook page in months and alleges it’s others on the council who are acting “immature” and levying personal attacks.
“They want to sit in the council meeting and say whatever they want to or not, but they don’t want to be held accountable,” Barber said.
Where both sides agree: the issues may drive qualified town staff away and lead to bitter fights in upcoming local elections.
History of issues
Indian Trail’s Town Council isn’t new to conflict among members drama.
Former Councilwoman Amy Stanton resigned in 2017 after she was charged with assaulting her daughter. Stanton had previously been criticized for “liking” racially insensitive Facebook posts, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
And in 2011, the council voted unanimously to replace then-Mayor John Quinn as the town’s representative on a county transportation board, the Observer reported then, saying Quinn wasn’t transparent with other Indian Trail leaders about the board’s work.
Quinn was banned by his fellow council members in 2009 from contributing to the town’s newsletter and website over comments they said were “whiny” and “horrible.”
The council also voted to ban Quinn from contacting town employees except through then-Town Manager Peggy Piontek and from entering nonpublic areas of Town Hall without Piontek’s permission over allegations Quinn harassed town staff.
In 2005, a divided voted to oust longtime Town Manager John Munn after a meeting described by the Observer as “testy” that included the then-Mayor Sandy Moore threatening to have a council member removed by law enforcement.
Earlier that year, Moore responded to a council member’s claim she potentially violated open meetings law by saying “a special interest group” had “continually attacked me and attacked this council.”
‘A propaganda machine’
At one time, the Weasel Report Facebook page — center of the latest council flaps — was tied to Barber’s campaign, Gay claims. He alleges Barber also worked with others to use the account to spread false information about council business, share rumors about other leaders and leak information shared in closed council sessions.
“He started using his propaganda machine,” Gay said of Barber.
Former Council member Marcus McIntyre, who served on the board from 2018 to 2023, said Barber’s behavior created a “shift” on the council.
“He’s been very creative in terms of hiding behind certain personas,” he said. “... In my opinion, it’s wholly inaccurate. It’s inappropriate.”
Gay and McIntyre allege Barber, as a public official, has violated the law by blocking people on social media. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March public officials can’t block people if they have the authority to speak on the government’s behalf and purport to be exercising that authority on social media.
Barber confirmed to the Observer the Weasel Report page was once his campaign’s Facebook account. But he says there were always multiple administrators and managers who could post to the account, and he gave up all access to the page in September.
“I have had no involvement with the page,” he said.
Barber accused others on council of “feeding other pages” on social media and lodging “immature” attacks during public meetings. He said other town leaders need to accept that many residents want to use social media to keep up with council news.
“Anything regarding the town is public knowledge for the most part. So maybe they don’t want people to know how they vote. Maybe they want to suppress information, and then they sit in council meetings and make false statements, and they don’t want to be fact checked,” he said. “... You’re an elected official, you’re responsible to the citizens. And everybody has their own method of how they keep the constituents informed.”
The online tensions have surfaced during town council meetings.
Members voted in 2023 to censure Barber over claims he misrepresented town staff’s comments about the future of churches in Indian Trail’s downtown amid potential redevelopment. Other examples of alleged misinformation on the Weasel Report page include Gay disputing comments about his tax bill and Mayor David Cohn and the town denying allegations Cohn made a racist comment about Barber’s wife, who is Asian.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Indian Trail resident Michael Faulkenberry told council members during a public comment period the issues on social media are confusing residents.
“I hope the council will investigate this,” he said.
The meeting ended with Cohn proposing the town council adjust its rules for public comments to allow people to directly address individual council members. The measure passed 3-2, with Barber voting in opposition.
“I think that says a lot,” Cohn said after the vote.
What’s next for Indian Trail Town Council?
Gay alleges Barber’s actions and the Weasel Report Facebook page create “grid lock” for the town by slowing down decision making and forcing town leaders and staff to spend time countering false information.
“The sad thing is that the employees are all looking for jobs,” Gay said of town staff.
McIntyre shares similar concerns about an exodus of staff and said the drama was “a primary reason” he didn’t seek another term on the town council.
“I felt I was wasting my time,” he said. “If I’m here to help people, help the town … Why should I be focused on (Barber) and what he’s doing?”
Barber said staff exits are also “a concern” for him.
“I wouldn’t want to be there,” he said.
Gay, McIntyre and Barber all predicted the drama will be a factor in upcoming local elections, with residents taking notice of the disunion and taking sides. Elections are nonpartisan and staggered, meaning not every seat on the five-person board is on the ballot at the same time.
“It needs to be a professional, transparent environment where the elected officials address the issues, not the people,” Barber said.
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 12:51 PM.
