New member drops Lynnwood City Council appointment after Onlyfans scandal
The Brief
Jessica Roberts withdrew her appointment to the Lynnwood City Council due to controversy over explicit online content linked to her, which she said could distract from the council's progress.
Roberts was unanimously appointed but faced scrutiny over her personal life, including an OnlyFans account and explicit Reddit posts, leading to her decision to step down before confirmation.
LYNNWOOD, Wash. - Recent controversy surrounding "dark and bizarre" online activity has led to Jessica Roberts withdrawing her appointment to the Lynnwood City Council.
On Thursday, Roberts formally withdrew her consideration to the vacant city council position.
In a statement to FOX 13 Seattle, Roberts wrote:
"My personal life and identity does not in any way affect my ability to do the job. However I have decided to withdraw my appointment not because I'm unwilling to serve the people of my community, but because the continued scrutiny of my personal life is a potential distraction from the council's forward progress."
The backstory
Roberts was appointed unanimously to the position, but was still awaiting a confirmation hearing from the rest of the council. FOX 13 Seattle last reported the council planned to convene Thursday to consider rescinding her appointment.
The controversy stemmed from an Onlyfans account linked to her social media profiles, as well as explicit content posted to Reddit that was linked to her, as well.
Sexually explicit content was publicly accessible on her Instagram profile, and council members took issue with the fetish content she wrote about on Reddit, which some described as "dark and bizarre."
As far as her appointment, Roberts was among the final eight selected for interviews for the vacant . During her interview on Feb. 18, she focused on pedestrian-friendly initiatives, stating, "I think my voice would be useful, particularly in regards to walkability for pedestrians."
The council has until April 5 to find a replacement, after which the decision falls to the Snohomish County Council.
The Source
Information in this story comes from a statement by Jessica Roberts, in addition to previous coverage by FOX 13 Seattle.
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