NORTH TONAWANDA, NY (WKBW) — A controversy has erupted in North Tonawanda after police questioned Jacob Quinn, a city resident, about a parody Facebook page impersonating the mayor.
The incident began on January 21st when Quinn confronted the city council, accusing Mayor Austin Tylec of using the police to target him over the satirical page.
The mayor expressed concerns that the page was spreading harmful misinformation.
In a statement, Mayor Tylec said, "For the past few years a fake Facebook page posing as Mayor Austin Tylec has been spreading harmful misinformation. This goes beyond the realm of free speech—it's a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and create chaos."
The North Tonawanda Police Department then issued a news release stating, "This routine case was seemingly politicized and tried in the court of social media, with claims of abuse of power on behalf of the mayor. At no time did detectives give preferential treatment to the mayor or investigate the complaint any differently than any other case."
The North Tonawanda Common Council has requested a thorough review of the mayor's conduct, emphasizing their commitment to monitoring the situation closely.
Jacob Quinn has proposed a resolution to the city council to create safeguards against the alleged misuse of law enforcement, stating, "Hopefully this will be something that they approve. It's not an unreasonable request that more steps go into place to protect taxpayers and the integrity of the city overall."
The parody Facebook page has since been taken down, and both Mayor Tylec and the city council have declined to comment further, citing pending litigation.
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