A formal complaint has been made against a WA regional mayor who used Facebook to publish his personal opinions on the release of the man who fatally ran over Boulder teenager Elijah Doughty in 2016.

The man sentenced to three year's jail for killing Elijah Doughty, 14, was granted parole after serving 19 months in prison.

The 56-year-old man's identity is suppressed.

Social media commentary expressed outrage at the man's release.

But City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn suggested the outrage was overblown.

Responding to the comments from his private Facebook account, he compared the case and the reaction to the man who killed a Midwest man with a cricket bat.

In that case, a 22-year-old man received five years' jail for the manslaughter of William Rowe in an unprovoked attack on Christmas Day in 2007.

Mayor causes concern

Lindsay Councillor made an official complaint to the deputy premier Roger Cook, saying he was concerned Mr Van Styn was representing himself as the City of Greater Geraldton Mayor when asserting a subjective opinion.

Shane Van Styn responded to other comments about the release of the man charged with the manslaughter of Elijah Doughty. ( Source: Facebook )

Mr Councillor is the uncle of the man sentenced over the death of Mr Rowe.

Mr Van Styn said he disagreed with the complaint.

"I have a voice, my own person that is quite clear," he said.

"To anyone who wishes to know, I don't speak on behalf of council but the idea that someone like myself is not allowed to talk on any particular issue, no matter how controversial for fear of it being representative of everybody is quite ludicrous."

Social media policies

A man has complained about Mr Van Styn's comments, saying his conduct may be "morally disjointed" from the office he represents. ( Supplied: Lindsay Councillor )

The Western Australian Local Government Association said it would not comment on individual councils.

WALGA is in the process of developing social media policies which local governments can choose to implement.

The association's website states:

"Social media use and misuse is becoming increasingly topical within the Local Government sector as it can have substantial impact on the reputation and operations of Local Government."

Mr Van Styn said the City of Greater Geraldton did not have a social media policy in place.

"I think as councillors we are all adults we are all able to behave ourselves accordingly," he said.

"People are elected officials because they have certain view points and they should know where they stand on important issues.

"Hiding behind policies and bureaucracy using political speak to avoid telling the truth is what people are sick of hearing from politicians in the country."

He said engaging with constituents over Facebook was a new way to discuss issues.

"That is how people choose to communicate these days, not everyone wants to come to a council meeting," he said.

The Minister for Local Government, David Templeman, said while social media is a great way to engage with the public, some behaviour could be unpleasant.

“What we don’t want to do is stifle genuine public debate," he said.

"Local governments are the foundation of local democracy and democracy involves disagreement."

He said local government authorities should develop their own social media policies.

"Local governments and their elected members should use social media in constructive ways and apply some common sense when engaging with others online."

The Mayor of Kalgoorlie-Boulder John Bowler said Mr Van Styn's comments were not helpful, but refused to make further comment.