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SLO mayor discusses blocking Instagram critics in the future

September 3, 2021

One of SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon’s social media posts

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Departing San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon suggested in an Instagram comment on Friday that she may again block social media users with whom she disagrees, this time doing so once she is out of office.

On Friday morning, Harmon posted an excerpt from a New York Times column supporting California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bid to defeat the recall effort he is facing on Instagram. Harmon prefaced the excerpt by stating, “Posting this even though I know it brings out every hater on earth but I’m willing to take that because that’s just how important this race is.”

One commenter then suggested the possibility of Harmon disabling comments on her Instagram account. Harmon replied by saying, upon leaving office in 24 days, she can block comments in order to have more constructive dialogue.

“That would be wonderful but because I’m an elected official I’m not legally allowed to do that even though they’re terrible and mostly have nothing to do with local policy,” Harmon wrote in her reply. “The good news is there’s only 24 days to go and then I can block them all and we can have a more constructive dialogue about what actually matters!”

Commenters responded by criticizing Harmon’s suppression of speech and questioning the mayor about her ties to recently indited marijuana mogul Helios Dayspring.

Earlier this year, Harmon faced allegations she violated freedom of speech regulations by blocking people with contrasting views from her social media pages. After receiving a public records request asking for a list of everyone she had blocked from her social media accounts, Harmon acknowledged she blocked at least 25 Instagram users and 58 Facebook users. It appeared, however, the list of blocked users Harmon provided was incomplete.

Harmon left social media and returned multiple times in the aftermath of receiving the records request. In April, the SLO City Council adopted a social media policy that calls for public officials to avoid deleting comments or blocking users on official pages or sites they maintain.

Last week, amid allegations she took gifts from a marijuana businessman, Harmon announced she is stepping down as mayor to take a nonprofit job in which she will advocate for policies to combat climate change.

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Time for a photochop – Pot leafs for the roses


25

Harmon needs to go no doubt but bigger issues that won’t come up in an article here. McCarthy threatening businesses for complying with a legal subpoena. Guess it’s ok to obstruct justice threaten and intimidate. Cawthorn threatening to take up arms against Americans because of universally debunked election fraud. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin just said that trump lost Wisconsin by 20000 votes because 51000 republicans didn’t vote for him. Far left wants communism and the far right wants an authoritarian government at best dictatorship at worst. Trump on camera said that maybe the U.S. should try Russia or n koreas style of government. Started saying he deserved a third term conditioning people to accept it. Months before the election started sowing the seeds of a rigged election by saying that was the only way he could lose repeating over and over conditioning people to accept it. Recorded on the phone with Georgia election officials telling them to find the votes and let him and the republicans in congress do the rest. Our Democracy is under attack from the extremes of both sides


-36

Why do the left in America seem to want to shut down free speech?….ask yourself that question….


44

What’s that old saying? Something about removing the log from your own eye before the splinter in others. Something like that. I know I’ve done some wrong things in my life. How about all of you? You must be the perfect ones.


-39

Nothing I’ve done, has created “official” havoc and discontent, nor inspired illegal activities, that has brought the city to a standstill.


As Mayor, one must strive to do no wrong…


35

The Biden State Department can always use one more clueless goofball.


54

Even though Heidi and Helios are obviously crooked and corrupt, with this county, I can totally see a scenario where people have been paid off to not investigate.


This county does not even care. Look at New Times, still running NHC ads as if nothing at all is happening.


What will we the people do then? Will we just allow Helios’ new NHC to be built on Broad Street and happily shop there? Will we have no problem with Heidi living in town still and apparently getting off scot-free with a new job where she makes even more than she did as the Mayor?


If nothing actually happens to either individual, it will be a slippery slope because people will see they can get away with bold faced corruption in this county, and those two examples of them won’t be the last of it.


77

Please just go away, you’ve done nothing but damage to San Luis since you have been in office, many of us thought you would be better than the previous mayor but we were wrong your nuttier than she is.


124

Free speech can be a problem for allegedly corrupt lying fascists


99

I am sorry like the majority of slo residents , to see Heidi resigns.she is a good person who can be compassionate and stuborn in her beliefs, at the same time.It takes a lot of courage to fight openly for your ideas.

Look at us , the cowards , who dare not to comment under our real name.!

About blocking ugly comments on her Face book, why not? She was called names and received

death threats.

If Dan Dow was doing his job ,he should go after people intimidating public officials. And, you do not know , of course , but this site censured me many times, So thank you Heidi for your services. God speed.


-163

If Dan Dow was doing his job he would have tied Hedi, and A Hill and some of the others to the corruption that has been going on.


48

Can you point out where she did a good job?…. and it should be something SHE actually did rather than building on the work of previous councils and mayors. The problem with the narrow successes of the extremists ( bike lanes, gas, myriad empty proclamations like sanctuary cities) is that they simply followed a playbook echo’d by the California left. Nothing original. The city is so much WORSE off after her tenure. Like narcissists everywhere, she used this to fill her own personal ego need and just moved on when self-interest weighed heaviest. BTW, I truly would not be surprised if she departs her next job in several months. We need to focus on her replacement, either Stewart or Marx.


33

Ironic that HH squeezed into public office by just barely defeating Marx who local voters were sick of, following her illegal activity regarding Dalidio Ranch.


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