An Open Letter to Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe

The following Open Letter is in response to Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe claiming EastCountyToday and another local publication are “creating a dangerous climate in Antioch”.

Dear Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe:

The old saying goes that when you point fingers at other people, there are always three fingers pointing back at you.  I encourage you to remember that the next time you wish to blame other people rather than first looking in the mirror.

It is clear that with all the problems facing the City of Antioch and your personal life, you like to point fingers at other people versus owning it and taking responsibility for your own actions. The latest, being a social media post desperately claiming local media, EastCountyToday included, as to “creating a dangerous climate in Antioch”.

EastCountyToday has reported on community news for a decade now – from shootings, to carjackings to assaults to vehicle crashes to fires and other police activity.  The publication also will question policy decisions of the any city council in the hopes of finding common ground to create the best policy for everyone—versus a Mayor Lamar Thorpe knows best dictatorship.

Bottom line, I believe EastCountyToday does not create a dangerous environment in Antioch, but rather it reports on what dangerous things are going on in the community and highlight activity of the city council–which I’d argue an elected official drinking and driving created a dangerous environment for others on the roadways.

In fact, your erroneous statement can be easily debunked  considering I’ve said both in audio and written format more than a dozen times to never get physical with an elected official, never go to their house, and to be respectful when addressing them at the dais.

I realize that your inner circle is imploding, #transparentantioch now a distant memory because few still buy what you sell, and you must point fingers elsewhere, but this publication is not to blame, but rather your own actions from pettiness to vindictive behaviors to many personal failures.

I guess EastCountyToday should bare some responsibility for the following:

• I am sorry that no one is allowed to question your authority or policy decision making
• I am sorry this publication has caught you in dozens of lies and half truths since you have been mayor.
• I am sorry that this publication has caused you to ban people from your social media – against the law by the way
• I am sorry this publican has caused you to delete comments from your social media as people share opposing views—again, against the law.
• I am sorry that this publication caused you to have one too many drinks and you chose to allegedly drive drunk.
• I am sorry this publication caused you to grope two women
• I am sorry this publication somehow was the cause of a 44-page report outlining sexual harassment, unwanted sexual advances, creating a hostile work environment and other misconduct while you were an executive director.
• I am sorry this publication somehow caused a $350k settlement from Contra Costa County regarding your transgressions with women.
• I am sorry this publication caused two councilmembers to call for your resignation as mayor
• I am sorry this publication caused you to get into an altercation in a golf course parking lot
• I am sorry this publication has caused you Mr. Mayor to lie about the Angelo Quinto case for two years
• I am sorry that this publication caused one of your first actions as mayor was to rescind school resource officers making schools less safe.
• I am sorry this publication caused you to blame local businesses for crime.
• I am sorry this publication has caused you to assist in protests outside other elected officials’ homes whom you disagreed with.
• I am sorry this publication has caused you not to pay a videographer $15k for work performed
• I am sorry this publication has caused a mass exodus of Antioch Police even though many blame you and the actions of the city council.
• I am sorry this publication caused you to create a sham process in hiring Con Johnson as city manager.
• I am sorry this publication has caused the City of Antioch to hire your campaign consultant as the city public information officer for $8k per month.
• I am sorry this publication has caused you to direct the city of Antioch to not send local media any press releases or community event information for the public to be aware of—you know, share actual “good” news all in order for you to control the messaging.
• I am sorry this publication caused a councilwoman to perform a 9-minute rant of F-bombs blasting the Antioch Police Department.
• I am sorry this publication has caused a councilwoman to earn a misdemeanor charge for an interaction with Antioch Police.
• I am sorry this publication has caused you to abuse the position of city attorney to block the release of police body camera footage involving an Antioch city councilwoman.
• I am sorry this publication caused the Antioch Police Department to respond to a councilmembers house a dozen times for various noise and other complaints.
• I am sorry this publication has caused a councilwoman to step down as chair of the police oversight commission
• I am sorry this publication caused a councilmember to actually support a sideshow before it was cool not to.
• I am sorry this publication someone how caused a recall attempt to remove you as mayor
• I am sorry this publication caused you to begin calling people “Karens” whom disagree with you.

Could I go on, sure, but clearly the list is long, and I am being facetious in my apologies. You see, all these actions above have nothing to do with anyone other than your actions and actions of the Antioch City Council.

Ultimately, great leaders take responsibly for their actions and own their failures. Terrible leaders simply blame others.  You sir are the latter.

Anyone who disagrees with you, you choose the route of attempting to character assassinate them, seek to embarrass them, belittle them, and seek to destroy them with a never-ending grudge.

Perhaps instead of attacking everyone else, you should begin to look into the mirror. Rather than aim to further divide, perhaps try to unite for a change.

The great thing about freedom of speech is we get to share and exchange ideas while shining light on bad ideas through discourse. You sir, apparently do not want that as I’ve pointed out #transparentantioch is dead.

If EastCountyToday is such a bad place, then I challenge you to unblock the countless number of people on your social media pages and you can now carry on the conversation on your own social media platforms. You can interact directly with concerned citizens and outside influencers. We can move the conversation to your social media so the community can have an honest discussion of their concerns and frustrations over your actions and policy making decisions. You can have direct conversations instead of hiding opposing views to make it appear as if you have the support you really do not have.

Or perhaps, a better idea.  You should step away from making decision for 120k people in Antioch and instead focus on making sound decisions in your own personal life. Perhaps this is through AA or counseling—or a combination of both if needed. I know you will make the best decision for yourself.

So go ahead, continue to blame others for “creating a dangerous climate in Antioch” but I refuse to be your scapegoat for failures as Mayor and in your personal life. I will continue to do my job in reporting happenings in Antioch and other communities just as I always have.  I will continue to report on happenings of local officials and other local news.

Remember Mr. Mayor, for every finger you point at someone else, three are always pointing back at you.

Respectfully

Mike Burkholder
Publisher of EastCountyToday.net