NEW: Mayor Elorza’s Office Accused of Deleting Facebook Posts About Snow Removal
Monday, February 09, 2015
GoLocalProv News Team
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Is Mayor Elorza deleting negative comments from his FB page?
A Providence resident has raised questions about posting a comment on Mayor Jorge Elorza's Facebook page about the snow removal in the city -- only to have it deleted.
Following two big winter storms -- and impending snowstorm on Monday that has already canceled school - Providence resident Anthony Sionni said he posted a comment on the Mayor's page Sunday evening, which was then promptly deleted -- by the Mayor's office.
Sionni posted the following on his own Facebook page:
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I made a post on the Mayor Elorza's [Facebook] page about the poor snow plowing job, it was nothing bad and a woman asked me on the post how we can do something about this because nobody is responding on his page to the complaints. I responded I am working on something and to join my group, two min later the post was deleted!
When asked if his post got deleted, Sionni told GoLocal, "Yes and [a] woman was responding to my post, I am pissed, I just sent the mayor a [Facebook] message on that page and tweeted to him."
"I am so angry that the posts were deleted," said Tracey Voccio, who had responded to Sionni's post, before it was deleted. "What about freedom of speech? It is so wrong that people can't voice their opinions?"
Elorza Response
The Mayor's office said that their policy doesn't allow for direct posts.
"Posting directly on the Mayor’s page timeline is not allowed," said Elorza Press Secretary Evan England. "Comments that are not profane are welcome."
As of Sunday evening, there is no longer a new post function on the Mayor's Facebook page. Comments can be made to posts by the Mayor's office.
"They deleted the direct posts to the page and changed the settings," said Sionni of the earlier posts that others had responded to on Sunday.
"I originally posted my comment on [a friend's] page. Then realized she had it posted on the Mayor's page as well as her own. So I copied and pasted my reply to her personal page to the comment she left on the mayor's page. So now no one can post," said Voccio.
Related Slideshow: Reactions to Mayor Elorza’s Inauguration Speech
Providence residents, community leaders, and elected officials turned out in the face of cold temperatures to hear Providence's newest Mayor, Jorge Elorza, give is inauguration speech at Providene City Hall on Monday, January 5.
Read Mayor Elorza's speech HERE.
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Jim Vincent
"I thought it was great, it showed a lot of optimism. He has a plan. I think he knows the city, I like the fact he's a young guy - you'll need a lot of energy to move the city forward, and I pledge to work with him."
- Jim Vincent, NAACP Providence Branch President
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Sam Zurier
"I thought it was comprehensive. It was thorough -- I iwas expecting a few themes, but he went into a lot of areas. I look forward to working with him."
- Sam Zurier, Providence City Councilman
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Jo-Ann Ryan
"I'm excited to work with the Mayor and new council. I love Providence. I'm excited to have a new Mayor focused on arts, culture, recreation, which are all important to me. He's got a wonderful vision, and I look forward to working with him."
- Jo-Ann Ryan, Providence City Councilwoman
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Seth Magaziner
"I thought it was excellent speech, I thought it laid out an ambitious agenda. As a Providence resident, I think we need a Mayor who thinks about the big picture. I thought he had good specifics. The Treasurer's office being a financial office, I stand ready to assist the mayor's office and his team with the city's finances. We have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to it."
- Seth Magaziner, Rhode Island General Treasurer
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James Diossa
"I'm very excited that the Mayor's taken on the job that was started by the previous administration. I look forward to working with him, he's got new energy, ideas. He's innovative, and looking for ways for the city to stand out and be successful."
- James Diossa, Mayor of Central Falls
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Kobi Dennis
"It was refreshing to say the least. I liked that he had the community component, and I just thought people felt included. He talked about some of the things that [former Mayor] Taveras was doing, but not in the beginning. It's a new beginning, it's a new start."
- Kobi Dennis, Founder of Project Night Vision
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Nellie Gorbea
"It was great. It's an exciting time for the entire state. Having Mayor Elorza at the helm is important, because he's a leader, and leadership matters. I'm excited to work with him."
- Nellie Gorbea, Rhode Island Secretary of State
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Keith Oliveira
"I thought it was a powerful, visionary speech. Much of what he's talking about is in line with what the school board is moving towards - neighborhood schools, arts education policies, so having [the Mayor's office] get behind that is great. Redirecting resources from central administration to the schools, we've been moving forward with our school autonomy policy, so much of what I've heard is in line with what we're trying to do."
- Keith Oliveria, Providence School Board President
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