MOUNT PLEASANT — A handful of residents claim they’ve been blocked from Mayor Will Haynie’s Facebook pages and the exclusions have raised questions about free speech and how elected officials use social media — an issue that’s not always black and white.

Haynie has served as mayor of Mount Pleasant since 2015. Currently running for re-election against political newcomer Curt Thomas, he has two accounts on the social media platform where he often shares information about town-sponsored events, photos, videos, news articles and general life updates. One is denoted as his personal page.

“Husband, Father, ‘Dog Person’ Who Happens To Be Mayor of Mount Pleasant, SC. Personal page,” the introduction at the top of the account reads.

A second profile, “Will Haynie for Mayor,” is designated for

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