- Vineyard Councilwoman Sara Cameron launches the Vineyard Observer, a city-focused news site.
- Cameron initially ran for office due to perceived corruption but said she found misinformation.
- The site aims to provide reliable information and foster respectful community dialogue.
VINEYARD — A Vineyard city councilwoman who initially ran for office on the platform that the city was corrupt is launching a Vineyard news site dedicated to combating misinformation.
Sara Cameron said she never intended to be part of the City Council as she was too busy running her own business and raising six kids.
"I never had the desire to run for political office, but after hearing all these stories of corruption in our city, I felt obligated to run and try to change it. Once I was on the council, I realized everything I had been told was missing parts of the story and was not correct at all," she said.
Cameron initially ran for office in tandem with Jacob Holdaway, a councilman who has been very outspoken about alleged corruption in the city and is a staunch critic of Mayor Julie Fullmer, whom he has called "deceptive."
Holdaway has gotten into heated discussions at multiple City Council meetings, was the main proponent behind a state audit that determined the city had failed to report "substantial" transactions, and frequently references claims of financial misuse over the previous council's economic development decisions.
Since being in office, Cameron has appeared to distance herself from Holdaway, and several city decisions have been made with only Holdaway opposing. She said she has seen firsthand how hard the city staff works to help Vineyard be the best it can, despite intense division in the city from misinformation.
"While I was campaigning, I was helping to spread that misinformation, and so after sitting on council for six months ... I wanted all of the citizens to know what I've learned and correct the untrue narrative that I helped spread," she said.
Cameron, and some community members she connected with since she "started correcting that misinformation," decided to create the Vineyard Observer, which she says aims to restore trust and unity among the community.
"We all felt like it was so overwhelming to address it post by post, that the goal really was to create something that would be a solid source for information that we could put links to and put verified sources and information so the citizens knew that was the concrete truth," Cameron said.
The Vineyard Observer will provide "reliable information about everything from local events to council decisions, and engage in meaningful discussions that will help shape the future of Vineyard," Cameron said. Articles will also talk about the "great things" happening in the city and be available online and in weekly print papers.
The Vineyard Observer also gives people the chance to share their perspectives through photographs, opinion pieces and neighborhood concerns and stories. The main social media pages for Vineyard can get "really contentious," and the site aims to be a platform "where people can say what they feel and what they think without the threat of being publicly attacked," Cameron said.
An informed community is a strong community, and it starts with access to "honest, transparent information," she said.
"I want the citizens to know the whole story of Vineyard. We have an excellent staff, and the integrity of our elected officials — the accusations that it hasn't been transparent, are completely untrue," she said.
From her view, she has seen city officials carefully follow state code and ensure things are done in the proper way. "It's really important for our citizens to know that and to understand that that is, and has been, the case in Vineyard," she said.
Cameron pointed to the massive growth Vineyard has experienced — going from just a 3,000-person town in 2015 to the current city population of 16,000 — and said, "Of course, there have been some growing pains along the way."
Cameron doesn't use social media often, she said, so she wanted the newspaper to be a chance to communicate directly with citizens rather than people relying on social media alone. Throughout all political circles, it's become too common for people to immediately trust random information without verifying or hearing the full story, she said. She experienced herself just how quickly she "bought in" to what was being shared online and wants to prevent that for others as it was "so frustrating" learning she had been misled, she said.
Cameron pointed to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, mentioning how sad she was that someone who prioritized open dialogue and treated the people he debated with respect was killed. Kindness for others no matter their beliefs has been missing in this country and in Vineyard, Cameron said. She hopes the Vineyard Observer can help rebuild connection and community in the city.
"We should be able to listen to each other, like Charlie Kirk did, and have different opinions and still treat each other respectfully," she said.
Correction: A previous version reported Vineyard had a population of 300 in 2015, but it was 3,000.
