Instead of answering uncomfortable questions like, “Hey, how many paychecks does the City Manager collect?” they’ve adopted a bold new playbook: sue the peasants.

Back in January, the Bangor City Council unanimously voted to let their attorney file charges against anyone who dares to say something “harmful” about the city. You know, like questioning taxpayer spending or asking whether public employees are pulling double salaries. The horror!

Speak freely – but lawyer up.

City Manager/Police Chief Justin Weber released a statement assuring the public that free speech is totally welcome – as long as it doesn’t include any “knowingly false statements that are defamatory.” Which, of course, is vague enough to cover everything from outright lies to “Bob said the roads are garbage again.”

Weber’s solution? If you say something the city doesn’t like, they’ll drag you to court and demand “amounts equal to the damages caused to the city.” Because nothing says “we’re open and transparent” like threatening lawsuits over Facebook posts.

Nothing to see here – and you’re not allowed to look.

Weber claims this crackdown is only to stop false information from spreading – like the one saying he collects two paychecks. A totally wild idea that could be cleared up instantly by showing, say, actual payroll records. But nope. The city instead chose the “just trust us” route while also denying FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests from residents who dared to ask. Convenient, huh?

And when local resident and current mayoral candidate Steve Honeycutt tried to do the unthinkable – ask questions – he got slapped with a FOIA denial and a “troublemaker” label. This is what happens when you bring facts to a feelings fight.

Mayor Lynne Farmer chimed in with her own doozy, defending the city’s right to sue its citizens in order to make city employees “feel comfortable.” She also complained about the cost of having police at council meetings – but said they have to be there so that government workers don’t get shot.

Free Speech 101: You can’t sue people just because you’re embarrassed.

Enter FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), a nonprofit that defends free speech and has read the Constitution more than once. In a scorched-earth letter, they reminded Bangor that government entities cannot sue for defamation, no matter how much they want to play the victim.

“If Bangor officials believe a constituent has made a false statement,” FIRE wrote, “they can publicly condemn the statement, express disagreement or say why they believe it inaccurate…What they may not do is sue or otherwise punish the speaker.” Seems simple – unless you’re an elected official who thinks being asked a question is a personal attack.