Salisbury City council member faces backlash over TikTok video and speaks out

SALISBURY, Md. – A Salisbury City Council member is facing criticism after a TikTok video posted to social media sparked backlash from some residents and city leaders.

Council member Michele Gregory posted the video to her personal TikTok account, using a viral audio clip that includes profanity directed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, former President Donald Trump and his supporters. The video has received more than 1,800 views and prompted strong reactions from members of the community.

Gregory said the voice heard in the video was not her own and that she used a trending sound to express her personal feelings.

“That’s been something that’s been kind of a mistaken identity almost,” Gregory said in an interview. “It was a sound that I chose. It was trending and because it expressed how I was feeling internally.”

Some residents argue the video was inappropriate for an elected official. Dominic Tavonn, a Salisbury resident, created a petition calling for Gregory to be recalled from office.

Mayor Randy Taylor also weighed in, releasing a statement Wednesday calling the video “highly inappropriate.” Taylor added that Gregory and some other council members are “part of a small group … that has attempted to inject national political themes in local governance.”

Gregory said she does not plan to resign over the controversy.

“I’m not sure exactly what their ask is, but I’m not going to resign over this,” she said. “I firmly believe that I’m serving my constituents to the best of my ability.”

When asked whether she would post the video again after seeing the reaction, Gregory said she might reconsider the language used.

“I would probably not with that particular kind of sound — not with that language most likely — because that seems to be what people have objected to, not the actual content,” she said.

The petition effort and criticism continue as the debate highlights broader tensions over the role of national politics in local government.