Especially considering what the author's been through with vindictive council busybodies making her live even that much more difficult out of sheer spite - like

Especially considering what the author's been through with vindictive council busybodies making her live even that much more difficult out of sheer spite - like when they cut off her bennies before her first check even came in because they'd read about her deal in the paper - I think she held back rather more than I could in such a situation.