KEMAH, Texas – The boardwalk is a booming business for the city of Kemah.
However, Mayor Carl Joiner says negative social media posts by city employees is hurting tourism, but city council members call his claims ridiculous.
“Kemah is a great place,” Joiner said.
He says he’s trying to keep it that way by cleaning up city employees’ social media accounts.
”Please stop trashing because it puts a negative light on our city,” Joiner explained. “It just hurts me so bad. They’re proud of the fact that we have this trashy reputation.”
During a city council meeting Wednesday night, tensions boiled over.
The mayor’s second attempt at the discussion was met with resounding disapproval.
“I think it’s highly hypocritical of him to even have it on there (the agenda) to begin with whenever he’s the one that slanders everybody in town,” said council member Isaac Saldaña. “The mayor doesn’t like when people have something to say about him on social media.”
Councilmember Robin Collins also shot down the discussion. “We have free speech. The city cannot control social media,” she said.
This roller coaster ride began in July 2021. That’s when the mayor first proposed banning what he calls negative social media.
“They’ve been blocking anything I want to do,” Joiner said. “If you’re on any city committees, you should not be on social media trashing the city.”
The discussion didn’t last long and it was unanimously denied by city council members last year, and once again Wednesday night.
“It’s not a discussion I have any interest in having,” Doug Meisinger, City Council Member said.
He puts it this way. ”People have the right to be negative,” he said. “They have the right to criticize. “There are much bigger issues than somebody being mean on social media.”
KPRC 2 asked the Mayor if he was concerned about the debate on freedom of speech.
“Oh sure, but again I think if you choose to serve, you choose to be positive and set an example for the community,” he said.
The mayor has also filed a lawsuit against a Kemah resident for posting negative comments about him on social media.
Mayor Joiner declined to comment on that suit.
But the defendant in the suit, Daniel Conrad, spoke during the public comment portion of Wednesday’s meeting.
“This should have no point being on the agenda ever again,” Conrad said.
KPRC 2 Legal Analyst Brian Wice said any rule, stipulation, statute, or ordinance that purports to limit one’s ability to speak their mind is going to be constitutionally suspect because it will likely run afoul of broad protections embodied in the First Amendment.