ARCOLA —  Ahead of Arcola’s May 4 municipal election, a campaign flyer for mayoral candidate Veeda Williams arrived at the home of Arcola’s current mayor, Fred Burton.

On April 13, Burton’s Facebook account was used to post a video showing his opponent’s campaign material being lit on fire. The video was posted to a private Facebook group for Arcola residents.

The video was later taken down. But the fiery demise of the campaign flyer was one of several unusual and alarming incidents that have occurred during political turmoil in the normally quiet town south of Houston .

Burton had previously hired a private investigation firm to shadow a city council member who disagreed with him, Ebony Sanco.

Records obtained by the Houston Landing show that the private eye followed Sanco for five days in February, went through her trash and obtained information about her children at their middle school .

The total cost to Arcola taxpayers: $7,500. City Council did not approve the expenditure, despite a city code that says council members must approve all funding requests from the mayor except for emergency expenditures under $1,000.

And on Tuesday, the Arcola Police Department said on Facebook that Burton, who is Black, had received a threatening package with a noose and a note warning him to withdraw from the race.

“This threat is being treated with the utmost seriousness and the Arcola Police Department has requested assistance from the FBI in investigating this criminal act,” the police department wrote on Facebook.

City news in a private Facebook group

Burton did not respond to multiple messages from the Landing requesting comment for this story. He is an administrator of a private Facebook group set up for Arcola residents to receive public information and express concerns about their community.

More recently, the online forum has turned into a place for the mayor and anonymous posters to take shots at his opponent and fellow council members.

From the Facebook group called “Arcola Citizens, ” Burton shares community updates, streams City Council meetings, town halls and, more recently, messages about his campaign for mayor.

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As one of the administrators of the Facebook group, Burton governs who can or cannot access the public information stored on the page. A city employee is also an administrator.

Those who speak out against Burton, such as council members Sanco and Rosemary Bigby, have been kicked off the page. A Houston Landing reporter has also been removed from the group.

Sanco said she was removed back in February around the time the mayor began to question her residency . But this wasn’t the first time.

Two years ago, she said the mayor removed her for speaking up about the hiring process of the city administrator. Over the years, she said citizens who disagreed with the mayor were removed. This prompted her to create her own page for residents to talk about things taking place in the city.

Veeda Williams, who is running for mayor against Burton, said she isn’t concerned about the mayor burning her flyer. Williams has never been in the Facebook group.

“I know who I am, and I don’t get rattled by all that,” she said. “I think the people of Arcola are looking for professional and responsible leadership that answers to the people.”

Arcola mayor lashes out against critics

The group has become a host for attacks on those who openly disagree with the mayor, including council members, Williams and Compass Land Development LLC, which is at the center of a contentious land battle with the city .

On April 10, the mayor accused Williams of working with the company to use “snow job” tactics on residents.

Three days later, the mayor made a post about the Fenn Road property at the heart of the land battle.

“I BELIEVE THAT IF THE FENN RD. IS DEVELOPED, IT WILL BE CURSED BY THE HISTORY OF THE SLAVES THAT WERE LYNCHED AND BEATEN BY THE SLAVE MASTERS ON THAT PLANTATION,” the post read.

Anonymous posters have also taken to the group to criticize council members Bigby and Evelyn Jones. After an April 9 council meeting, a poster commented on a speech Jones gave about the ongoing political turmoil.

“Whoever wrote the letter for council members Jones, please use words she can pronounce,” the post read.

“Memo to the Arcola city council: if your job is not paying, you quit!!!” another post read.

Bigby said that her focus is on the future of Arcola and not on “petty” posts online.

“I’m not gonna let that bother me. I’m not into that. I’m for the city,” she said.

Government transparency and social media

The Texas Public Information Act states that information can be obtained from a privately owned group by a former or current public official if the information is deemed to be public.

Joe Larsen, an open government lawyer in Houston, says the mayor can’t pick and choose who gets access to the public information on Arcola’s Facebook group.

“There’s an enormous danger by allowing the governmental body to be able to shut out sections of the public which may be in disfavor or somehow persona non grata with that particular official,” he said.

“That’s the whole idea of transparency. It’s the old saying that sunlight is the best disinfectant. Transparency means it’s available to everybody. Otherwise, it’s not transparency.”

Williams said she thinks Burton’s behavior on the page is inappropriate.

“The mayor has to serve as a leader for all residents,” she said.  “The speech that he espouses on that page is divisive. He attacks his own residents and it distracts from the business of the city and what a leader should be doing.”