The mayor of Bonavista says social media was one of the factors behind his decision not to seek re-election as mayor.

John Norman is still running for council, but not running for another term as mayor.

Norman was reacting to a recent social media frenzy about council “banning” open-air church services in the town. He says council had received a number of noise complaints from residents in the Rolling Cove area about open-air church services conducted by Grace Pentecostal Church.

Norman says the church was asked by council, following consultation with lawyers and understanding the right of freedom of religion, to abide by the town’s noise bylaw and turn the volume down.

Somehow, Norman says, the issue started being framed as council’s attempt to ban open-air church services. He says misinformation spread through social media and that’s one of the reasons why he has chosen not to seek re-election to the mayor’s position.

He calls the spread of misinformation through social media “unfortunate” and says municipal leaders need to be cognizant and careful about how they evaluate such instances. Norman says the public also needs to reflect and analyze critically what’s being said by making inquiries and getting the facts.