Council Member Apologizes for Using Facebook and Twitter During Public Meetings

by Patricia Lesko

During four public meetings in early 2017, Ward 4 Council member Jack Eaton (D) spent a total of four hours accessing Facebook and a total of five hours accessing Twitter. Eaton, when asked to comment said: “I apologize to not only my constituents but to the residents of Ann Arbor. While I was accessing news articles and other resources related to the Council discussions at hand in order to have relevant facts and figures to share with my colleagues and the public, I should not be using social media while in Council meetings. I will cease doing so immediately, and assure my constituents that I understand the importance of giving my full attention to my council work and, of course, to the public when they share their concerns with us at Council meetings.”

After Eaton read the newspaper’s April 15 article which revealed that both Ward 5 Council members had spent hours accessing social media during public meetings, the Ward 4 Council member contacted the newspaper.

“When you get my server records, you’re going to find that I was on social media,” he told The Ann Arbor Independent. “I’d like to comment.”

During the four meetings for which the web server records were requested, Eaton sent a total of 78 page requests to Twitter and Facebook combined during the four meetings for which the web server records were examined. A page request is made when a link is clicked.

Eaton sent 28 page requests to Facebook and Twitter, combined, during a Mar. 13, 2017 meeting at which budgets totaling more than $35 million were presented to Council by the Downtown Development Authority, the Pension Board and the LDFA, among other city-controlled entities. Council member Chuck Warpehoski (D-Ward 5) sent 396 requests to Facebook during the same meeting. At the Mar. 13 meeting, Eaton accessed Facebook for 29 minutes and Twitter for 140 minutes.

Council rules adopted in Dec. 2016 do not forbid members from browsing social media sites or shopping online during public meetings or during public commentary.

Council members’ use of laptops during meetings prompted a 2008 letter to The Ann Arbor News. On April 8, 2008, Ann K. Dilcher wrote:

I always question the use of laptops by the council members. They often seem more tuned into their screens than the presentations from the floor. The members may be looking up important documents that relate to the discussion or may be e-mailing family – as an observer, you just don’t know. I think it would be good for them to consider going “topless.”

On March 29, 2009, LuAnne Bullington wrote in a letter to the editor published in The Ann Arbor News:

While citizens speak, these council members type away on their computers, whisper to each other and giggle like schoolchildren. Some council members don’t even look at the people speaking to them.

In a series of articles, The Ann Arbor Independent has examined whether Ann Arbor City Council members are accessing social media during public meetings and public hearings. The articles grew from a video forwarded to the newspaper of Council member Chip Smith (D-Ward 5) scrolling a Facebook page during a public meeting while Ann Arbor resident Christine Crockett addressed Council. The newspaper used FOIA to obtain city web server records for all Council members’ city-owned computers for the same four Council meetings held in the beginning of 2017: Jan. 17, Feb. 21, March 13 and March 16.

The A2 Indy reported on April 15 that Ward 5 Council members Charles “Chip” Smith (D) and Chuck Warpehoski collectively spent more than 14 hours on Facebook and Twitter during the four meetings. The two elected officials sent a combined 800 page requests to the two social media sites during the same four Council meetings. Warpehoski sent 396 page requests to Facebook during the Mar. 13 budget meeting.

At the same Mar. 13 meeting, Eaton accessed Facebook for 29 minutes and Twitter for 140 minutes.

Council members Warpehoski and Smith refused to comment when asked about their use of social media during meetings. Neither Council member has issued a public apology.

Public records showed that Ward 3 Council member Zachary Ackerman (D), similarly, spent several hours accessing social media during the same four public meetings. He used his city-owned computer and the city’s computer network to browse Facebook and Twitter for a total of six hours. Ackerman browsed Facebook and Twitter analytics during each meeting. He accessed the two sites for periods of time ranging from under five minutes to as long as 65 minutes. Ackerman made over 120 page requests to the social media sites, including during the Mar. 13 budget meeting.

When asked whether he regretted using social media during public meetings, Ackerman replied via email: “I have submitted all relevant information to the City Attorney’s office.”

On April 24, The Ann Arbor Independent reported, “When asked to address his use of a city-owned computer to browse Twitter and Facebook for hours during public meetings and public commentary, Ackerman chose not to comment. When asked if he regretted playing on social media during public meetings, Ackerman chose not to comment.”

To date, Ackerman has not issued a public apology.

Ackerman, Eaton and Smith are all running for re-election to City Council in the August Democratic primary election.

‘We’re Supposed to Be Paying Attention’

During the four meetings for which web server records were examined, Ward 4 Council member Krapohl (D) accessed neither Facebook or Twitter using his city-owned computer. Likewise, Ward 2 Council members Jane Lumm (I) and Kirk Westphal (D) did not access either Facebook or Twitter at any time during the four meetings.

“We’re supposed to be paying attention,” said Lumm. “It’s really that simple.” Lumm, an Independent, is seeking re-election in the Nov. 2017 general election.

One Council member who asked not to be identified said that since the newspaper began publishing its articles about council members’ accessing social media during public meetings, the practice has ceased.

“Their computer screens are dark,” said the Council member with a chuckle, “and some of them look very unhappy, especially the ones who used to sit there and browse their personal Facebook pages and Twitter for hours during the meetings.”

The Ann Arbor Independent is waiting on a series of public records requests for web server and outgoing email server records for Council members Julie Grand (D-Ward 3) and Sumi Kailasapathy (D-Ward 1) to determine whether either accessed either Facebook or Twitter during the four public meetings for which records were examined for their Council colleagues.

Ward 4 Council candidate Jaime Magiera is running in the August 2017 Democratic primary election. He declined to comment when asked whether he would like to weigh in on council members’ use of social media during public meetings. When Magiera last ran for Council in 2015, University of Michigan records show that the public employee was the subject of a complaint filed by a member of the public concerning the large number of comments he posted during his work hours in response to MLive articles, including articles about his City Council campaign.