Saint John’s mayor wants to turn negative experiences on social media into a community dialog.
Don Darling turned to live-streaming app Periscope to host a town hall and answer questions last week.
The mayor says the conversation is a continuation of his goal to engage the community.
He’s long held live-streams on Facebook, but more recently he says he’s seen a vocal group emerge on multiple social media platforms, looking to be heard by elected officials.
“I’m seeing a new group of young leaders that want to be engaged with,” Darling said.
Political conversations have turned contentious on Twitter recently, leading to local elected officials stepping away from social media.
Darling took a brief hiatus from social media in June, while M.P. Wayne Long recently deleted his non-Facebook social media accounts entirely after receiving backlash for a photo he posted on a boat being driven by someone who appeared to be holding an open alcoholic beverage.
On last week’s live-streamed Q and A, Darling says he received a number of questions that ranged from local interest issues, to those that are being discussed at a global level.
“For example, how the Saint John Police Force is dealing with allegations of sexual assault, and are we doing well enough? What data are we collecting? Are people being treated in a way that they feel confident and they trust the system to come forward and make a complaint? These are terribly important questions,” the mayor said.
Darling was the mayor when a 2017 Globe and Mail report was released which revealed the city’s police force had the highest rate of sexual assault charges marked as “unfounded” in Canada, at 51 per cent.
At Thursday’s Q and A he said he now feels he should have pushed the former police captain
Moving forward, Saint John’s mayor says he’s committed to furthering conversations with his constituents.
“Elected officials, citizens, everyone should be held accountable for the development of and the creation of the path forward that’s more equitable and fair,” said Darling. “So that we as a city thrive economically, socially, and culturally.”
