Area residents criticized Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs on Sunday after he engaged in a derisive exchange with a commenter on his Mayor of Manchester Facebook page—an exchange that appears to no longer be visible to the public, raising concerns over potential First Amendment violations.
The page in question carries the title: “Joey Hobbs, Mayor of Manchester.”
Citing an article from The Tennessean, Hobbs made a post Sunday highlighting counties with the largest population changes from 2024 to 2025.
Hobbs noted that Coffee County is showing a population increase of 946 residents, saying the number “provides valuable perspective as we discuss growth in our community.” He went on to write, “the data shows that our growth is occurring at a steady and manageable pace, not at the explosive rate that some discussions might suggest.” Hobbs concluded the post by stating, “Growth is a good thing. Smart planning is essential. And facts should always guide the conversation.”
When commenter Tracie Gifford Brown replied, “So who is in charge of the ‘smart planning’?”, Hobbs responded directly.
“That would be the Mayor and Board of Mayor and Aldermen—the people elected by the citizens to make those decisions,” Hobbs wrote. “You seem to always be the Monday morning quarterback, or maybe you just enjoy a little drama. [laughing emoji] Either way, we’ll keep doing the work and making decisions based on the facts and what’s best for Manchester.”
Brown responded to the mayor, asking, “Why are you always so unprofessional? All I did was ask a simple question. Wow.”
Hobbs replied: “always the victim”.
The mayor’s responses quickly drew criticism from other residents in the thread. Commenter Sarah Bradley replied to Hobbs, writing, “She asked a straightforward and valid question and you launched into snark mode and made it personal… Is it really that hard to answer a simple question without engaging in personalities?”
By Sunday evening, none of that interaction appeared to be visible in the comment thread. While Facebook’s data showed 32 total comments on the post, PMG News was only able to account for 26 visible comments. A discrepancy in Facebook comment counts typically indicates that posts have been hidden by a page administrator or deleted.
Hobbs told PMG that the page is his personal page and he “uses the page to communicate with residents, friends, supporters and members of the public, but I do not use the page as an official City of Manchester communication channel, nor do I speak on behalf of the City of Manchester in an official capacity through that page.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has recently established that public officials who delete comments or block users while acting in their official capacity can be held liable for violating the First Amendment.
Hobbs said that the content was “removed or hidden by a page administrator as part of the moderation of my personal page. The moderation decision was based on the content or conduct involved and was not made simply because an individual disagreed with me, my administration or a particular political position.”
Hobbs’ full statement to Peterson Media Group can be found here:
“I want to clarify the nature of the Facebook page referenced in your inquiry. The page is my personal Facebook page, and it identifies my current position as Mayor of Manchester. I use the page to communicate with residents, friends, supporters, and members of the public, but I do not use the page as an official City of Manchester communication channel, nor do I speak on behalf of the City of Manchester in an official capacity through that page.
“The page is not operated, maintained, or moderated by City of Manchester employees, and it is separate from the City’s official communication channels and social-media accounts.
“Regarding the comments referenced in your questions, those comments were removed or hidden by a page administrator as part of the moderation of my personal page. The moderation decision was based on the content or conduct involved and was not made simply because an individual disagreed with me, my administration, or a particular political position.
“I believe strongly in the First Amendment and in the right of Manchester residents to express their opinions, including opinions with which I may strongly disagree. Being Mayor does not mean I expect everyone to agree with me. I welcome questions, criticism, and disagreement.
“At the same time, as the owner and administrator of my personal Facebook page, I believe I have the ability to establish reasonable standards for participation and to moderate content that does not meet those standards. The purpose of that moderation is not to suppress a particular viewpoint, but to maintain appropriate conduct on my personal page.
“I understand that the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Lindke v. Freed addresses circumstances in which a public official’s social-media activity may constitute state action. I also understand that the analysis is fact-specific and includes consideration of whether an official possesses actual authority to speak for the government concerning the particular matter and whether the official purports to exercise that authority through the social-media activity.
“That distinction is important in this situation. Although my Facebook page identifies me as Mayor and I may discuss issues involving Manchester, the page is my personal page. I do not represent that the page is an official City of Manchester communication channel, and I do not use it to exercise governmental authority on behalf of the City.
“I also understand that questions concerning whether social-media content may constitute a public record under Tennessee law are separate from questions concerning whether comments may be moderated or removed. I would defer to legal counsel regarding the application of Tennessee law and the First Amendment to the specific facts involved.
“I would also be less than honest if I said I was surprised by the nature of this inquiry. This is the type of scrutiny and line of questioning I have come to expect from Thunder Media/Peterson Media Group. Regardless, I am happy to provide a straightforward response based on the facts and allow the legal issues to speak for themselves.
“With respect to my exchange with Ms. Brown, I stand by my responses. I am not going to allow a disagreement on my personal Facebook page to distract from the work I am doing as Mayor.
“I welcome disagreement and criticism. What I do not believe is reasonable is the idea that every comment must remain on my personal page regardless of its content or conduct simply because I hold public office.
“My focus as Mayor remains on working with our residents, our employees, and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to solve problems and move Manchester forward.
“I appreciate the opportunity to provide this clarification.“
