New Facebook Forum Created to Discuss Upcoming Greenport Election

GREENPORT, NY — Greenport Village Trustee Doug Roberts has created a Facebook page for village residents to weigh in about the upcoming election — and at least one candidate is unhappy with the move.

The page, "Greenport 2017 Election Forum," Roberts said, "is intended to be a forum where village residents can interact with each other and with the candidates in the March 21 village trustee election around the issues they want to discuss. It's an opportunity for candidates to share their ideas and positions and hear ideas from voters."

Two trustee seats will be open as Mary Bess Phillips and Julia Robins come to the end of their terms; both are seeking-re-election and no other candidates have yet come publicly forward.

Petitions are due February 14, and the village election is on March 21.

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"This forum will be issue-oriented only," Roberts said. "As a sitting trustee in the middle of my term, my role here will be purely as moderator. Anything I post will be in the form of a question."

While the group is public, comments that are personal, vulgar or threatening will be deleted, he said.

"Anybody may join, anybody may post a question for discussion, anybody may comment. I just ask that we all remember we are neighbors and that we use the same respectful approach I see when folks comment from the podium at our village board meetings. We can't all agree, but we can all listen and we can all be heard," he said.

Speaking to Patch about why he organized the page, Roberts said, "I set the site up to give candidates and voters an opportunity to discuss village issues online, a sort of virtual candidate forum. The only online forums I am aware of for talking about the village government are a Facebook group managed by one of the candidates or my trustee page. Since I am not a candidate in this election, I wanted to create an online space separate from my own political site. I will only ask questions on the site but hopefully, that won't even be necessary as voters have already been starting their own discussion threads."

While Roberts said he regrets that the forum is only open to those with Facebook accounts, he's hopeful the page won't be the only way to interact with candidates. However, he said, utilizing social media as a channel might help to engage voters who "won't be able to attend in-person forums because of work, childcare responsibilities, or illness."

Robins told Patch in a phone interview she was not pleased with the Facebook forum: "I didn't know that he was going to do that. He never asked me," she said.

She added that she is "not a big fan of the Facebook page. I feel the Facebook platform is often used for people to make rather unfiltered comments, and they can get nasty."

While she said she does have a Facebook page, she rarely posts anything but photos; she also has a business page in her capacity as a realtor.

Robins said she wants people to know, "If they have something they want to discuss with me, I'm totally accessible." Her office is downtown in the village and she's happy to have residents call her or stop in any time with concerns, to discuss the issues face to face or on the phone. "I don't want to do that on Facebook," she said.

Robins said the fact that Roberts kicked off the Facebook page was "inappropriate. He didn't discuss this with me or with Mary Bess Phillips," who is also seeking re-election, she said. "I certainly care tremendously about the people of this village. I've worked very hard for them on many levels," since winning a seat on the village board, including with issues centering on the New York State Power Authority, and as liaison to the Greenport Business Improvement District.

In addition, she is constantly seen walking around the village, taking photos of issues that need to be addressed and bringing them to Village Hall, she said.

"My accessibility to people is 100 percent," she said.

Roberts responded: "Facebook was a big part of the 2015 election and I think we engaged many more voters who were unable to participate otherwise. I support any vehicle for encouraging more participation in government."

He added that he commends any candidate who walks the streets before an election, talking firsthand to voters. "I certainly did that myself," he said. "But to say we should not have a Facebook forum for discussion is to tell a whole group of people who use Facebook regularly that they are not going to be heard by that candidates, and that's unfortunate."

For those without Facebook, Roberts reminded that candidate forums and others outlets for dissemination of information will exist.

As for Robins' comments on Facebook, Roberts said: "To shun one of those ways is a decision she can make and I wish her the best of luck. I'm not working for her campaign, just creating a forum for people to talk. I didn't think I needed to ask permission."

Trustee Phillips also weighed in on Roberts' page: "In August, 2014 I started a page called 'Let's Talk Village of Greenport' as an experiment in communicating, interacting and promoting our community, the Village of Greenport, in addition to phone calls and one on one visits. Given the set up structure of the page, anyone can ask to join. Trustee Roberts and I are comfortable using social media in that fashion. He has chosen to create a page with a very high expectation of being neutral on his part. Whether or not the case remains to be viewed over the next few months."

She said that neither Robins nor she had been informed of the idea before Roberts announced his page.