The newly-elected councillor for Gloucester–South Nepean says she is sorry for a post she made on a community Facebook group.
Carol Anne Meehan was responding to criticism on the Riverside South Community Assocation Facebook page earlier this week. She had been tagged several times in a post about transit issues. One user suggested she wouldn’t be able to help because she doesn’t take the bus “so what does she care?” That same user said Meehan was good at “smiling for the camera and taking photo ops.”
Meehan replied saying she had looked into the issue to find solutions, but didn’t have one at the time.
But then, she turned toward her critics.
“So- to all of you who want to dump all over me, go ahead. I know what is true, because I am living it,” she said.
She then addressed the above-mentioned user in particular–whose name CFRA is choosing not to post–and said, “give me your address, or I will go find you,” on the street where the user lives (information CFRA is also choosing not to publish).
“It’s not that long a street,” Meehan said. “I would love to have a face to face because you certainly like to slam me here. Let’s [sic] me see what kind of guts you have. I have the guts and courage to succeed YOU [sic] will never have.”
Some members of the page accused Meehan of making a threat. Meehan said she doesn’t “back down from bullies.”
The user declined an interview but told CFRA she was uncomfortable with her street name being shared online.
The post and comments in question have since been removed by the group's administrator.
A spokesperson for Meehan said she was unavailable for an interview Tuesday.
Meehan posted an apology on the Facebook group, in which she said she had felt harassed.
“Yesterday I felt harassed by several people on line in this group. In [sic] responded in an angry manner, which I realized was overly aggressive,” she said. “I removed the post. I apologize to everyone and realize I am going to have to grow a thicker skin.”