The A-C-L-U of Iowa has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a web developer in the northwest Iowa town of Sibley after city officials threatened a lawsuit for his criticism of their handling of a smelly situation. Josh Harms created the website “Should You Move to Sibley, Iowa?” which is critical of the way the city has handled odors created by the Iowa Drying and Processing company. A-C-L-U Legal Director, Rita Bettis, says the website was up for a couple of years before an attorney sent Harms a letter threatening him.
She says Harms created a website in 2015 and didn’t hear anything until 2017 when the city threatened him if he didn’t alter the site or take it down. Bettis says he at first altered the website out of fear of a lawsuit, but kept up the complaints as the city’s efforts to improve the smell weren’t effective.
Bettis says the city tried to keep Harms from his right to criticize its actions. That included being told by the city attorney that he shouldn’t talk to a local reporter about the issue.
Iowa Drying and Processing began operating in Sibley about five years ago and got a 150-thousand-dollar state grant to get started. The attorney for the city of Sheldon was out of the office and not available for comment.
