TRENTON – Trump has apparently taken over City Hall.
Mayor Reed Gusciora is under fire for being “thin-skinned” after blocking one of his biggest critics on social media – an unconstitutional move that got the POTUS slapped down by a federal judge earlier this year.
The “infamous” Michael Ranallo, a Paul Perez supporter who has established himself as one of Mayor Gusciora’s biggest detractors, learned from the city’s response to his public records request that he was the only person on a banned/blocked list preventing him from accessing and interacting with the mayor on a government-related social media page.
“It’s a First Amendment issue,” said Ranallo, who was a plaintiff in the notorious munchkin man lawsuit that accused the mayor of bribing and electioneering his way to a historic win over Perez in the runoff race.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said silencing critics on government-run pages is a big no-no.
“You can’t block someone from a government’s social media platform just because they have different opinions,” Jeanne LoCicerro, legal director at the ACLU-NJ, told The Trentonian on Monday in a phone interview.
Ranallo, who goes by Mike Ranallo on his Facebook account, provided The Trentonian with the city’s response to his public records request demanding “a list of all Facebook accounts blocked by Mayor Reed Gusciora (the official Facebook account of the Mayor and any other account used to discuss and comment on City related issues).”
The city acknowledged in its Open Public Records Act response that an account belonging to Michael Ranallo was on an official banned/blocked list.
The mayor admitted blocking Ranallo on the personal Facebook page he uses and openly identifies himself as the mayor of Trenton while regularly commenting on city business.
But he contends he never blocked Ranallo from accessing the mayor’s official Facebook page, which the mayor says he rarely accesses because it’s run by an aide.
The ACLU-NJ legal director noted separation between public officials’ personal and public social media pages is “murky.”
And that’s what seems to have Gusciora back-peddling.
The mayor claimed he blocked Ranallo because his mortal enemy posted a picture of his mother that Gusciora felt bordered on “stalking.”
“He’s going to be blocked again. He’s gone off the deep end. If he wants to sue me for blocking him or unblocking him, he can be my guest,” the mayor shouted.
Ranallo wouldn’t commit to bringing suit against the mayor, but said, “If he wants to claim I’m stalking him, let him get a restraining order against me.”
Gusciora called a reporter back later in the night and claimed Ranallo was no longer blocked from his social media account.
Ranallo initially asked for the mayor’s and city’s banned/blocked list on Oct. 25, after hearing another city official, West Ward councilwoman Robin Vaughn, had gone on a “tear” silencing dissenters on her Facebook page.
His request for Vaughn’s records was shut down once city officials concluded Vaughn primarily used her personal Facebook page as a private citizen even though she often posted about government business impacting residents.
However, the city acknowledged the city’s and mayor’s official Facebook pages, or ones used primarily to in official capacities, are subject to OPRA.
City clerk Dwayne Harris confirmed Ranallo was the only person singled out on the Trenton government’s do-not-disturb list, which worked in “tandem” with the mayor’s official page.
At-large councilman Jerell Blakeley was surprised to learn about the alleged government crackdown, noting he doesn’t block anyone from interacting with him.
“A free and open dialogue on social media is crucial,” he said. “They shouldn’t do that. Like the French philosopher Voltaire said, ‘I may disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’ Even on Facebook.”
The New York Times has dubbed the constitutionality of public officials blocking critics on social media platforms a “novel issue” that has been explored in a few high-profile cases, including one involving President Donald Trump.
Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled in favor of seven plaintiffs who filed suit Trump after he or an aide blocked them from viewing or replying to his Twitter posts.
In a ruling with wide-ranging implications for other public officials, Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald determined the Trump administration’s censorship tactics violated the First Amendment since he used his Twitter account as a public forum.
In another case in Maryland, Gov. Phil Hogan agreed to settle with the ACLU of Maryland to allow critical viewpoints on his official Facebook page after he was sued when several people complained of being blacklisted from the governor’s official Facebook page for expressing critical opinions.
Gusciora said he was familiar with the Trump ruling but felt he is still entitled to privacy.
“Let him waste more time,” the mayor said of Ranallo. “He files OPRAs on a weekly basis. I don’t have time for his nonsense. He seems to be unbalanced. … I think even Donald Trump has a right to block people that are malicious.”
Speaking of the POTUS, in another example of government censorship, CNN sued the White House last month to restore the press credential of White House correspondent Jim Acosta.
Acosta had access yanked after he was involved in a verbal tiff during a presser with the commander-in-chief.
In recent weeks, Gusciora, who during his campaign for Trenton mayor likened opponent Perez’s outbursts to Trump Twitter tantrums, apparently allowed the orange-faced leader’s press-limiting stunts to rub off on him like a bad spray tan.
Last week, the mayor denied he or his administration purposely excluded The Trentonian from a news conference because it didn’t approve of the newspaper’s coverage of his pick for police director.
Multiple media outlets showed up to a news conference in which the mayor and city police director Carol Russell discussed a brazen midday execution of a Crip gang member that was caught on tape.
But Gusciora claimed what started as one media outlet’s request for an interview with Russell spiraled out of control when other news stations just showed up.
Coincidentally, the snub job happened the same day the newspapers published a critical story about city officials pooh-poohing the mayor’s and Russell’s idea to bring back a deputy police chief to help her out.
“I’m still talking to you,” he previously told a Trentonian reporter.
