A Birmingham woman came before the Fairfield City Council during public comment at Monday night’s meeting, October 13th, to address what she described as a council member using their digital platform to spread false and harmful allegations about her family.
Rayna Lynn Shipley, a lifelong Fairfield-area resident whose family roots in the community go back multiple generations and who is the wife of Iowa House District 87 incumbent Representative Jeff Shipley, told the council that Council Member Bob Ferguson had recently used social media to validate and endorse what she characterized as malicious lies — including an implication that she is a victim of domestic abuse and a suggestion that her family was guilty of child endangerment.
“Recently, a member of this council used their digital platform to actively validate and endorse malicious lies. I am here tonight to set the record straight,” she said, referring to Ferguson. “I was publicly accused of being a battered woman, implying my husband abuses me. This statement is completely false. I am not a battered woman. That accusation is hurtful and totally unnecessary. My husband is a kind and gentle man.”
The comments referenced by Rayna Shipley were not specified by her or by any member of the council during the meeting. Ferguson had published a September 23rd Facebook post — a letter to the editor critical of Representative Jeff Shipley’s record — that remained publicly visible as of Wednesday, October 14th.
In the post, Ferguson wrote: “State Rep. Jeff Shipley wants Iowans to see him as a defender of liberty and due process. His record, on the road and in the Statehouse, says otherwise. It shows a lawmaker who, caught saying or doing something indefensible, almost never simply owns it. He reframes it, denies it, or blames the person who caught him. The traffic stop that just cost him a second court loss is not an aberration. It is his pattern, on display again.” The post referenced the April 12th traffic stop, during which Representative Shipley was cited for speeding and for his four-month-old daughter not being secured in a car seat. According to the post, Representative Shipley contested both citations, arguing Iowa’s restraint law only applies during transit. A magistrate rejected his argument, and he appealed to district court, where Judge Daniel Kitchen also rejected the appeal and assessed Representative Shipley the costs of the appeal. Ferguson was not present at Monday’s council meeting.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 14th, Representative Shipley wrote that Ferguson had deleted “the horrible comments he made about my wife,” adding: “Dems, pls keep your rabid attack dogs on a shorter leash!” Because Ferguson’s September 23rd letter to the editor post remained publicly visible as of October 14th, it is unclear whether Representative Shipley was referring to that post or to separate comments that have since been removed.
Rayna Shipley went on to address the child endangerment allegation directly. “The suggestion that we are guilty of child endangerment is so horribly twisted and dishonest that it requires strong public rebuke. Child endangerment under Iowa Code 726.6 is a very serious criminal offense that leads to the state taking custody of a child. The council member would be well advised to learn the law rather than spouting off on such preposterous ponderings.”
Shipley said Ferguson conflated minor traffic citations with far more serious criminal conduct. “Iowa Code 321.446 is a minor traffic offense and explicitly states that it does not constitute negligence. The destructiveness of this comment to local families cannot be overstated. Thankfully, the commenter demonstrates a total ignorance of the law, but this ignorance is no less threatening.”
Shipley called the behavior an unacceptable abuse of a council member’s platform. “For a city official to weaponize serious societal traumas to score political points crosses every boundary of acceptable behavior. These statements are defamatory and invite the public to target an innocent child. I am here tonight because I expect basic human decency and respect from Fairfield’s leadership. This reckless bullying makes Fairfield less safe for families. Please delete these destructive comments immediately.”
Mayor Connie Boyer thanked Shipley for her remarks and offered a brief response. “I appreciate it and I think it’s a self-reflection for people to take note of what they put on Facebook. I think it’s important for everybody to tone it down and be respectful.” Council Member Matthew Rowe asked whether Ferguson would like to respond, to which Boyer suggested he could do so privately. Council Member Elizabeth Estey asked whether Shipley had reached out to Ferguson directly before coming to the council meeting. Shipley said she had not.
