Home Antioch After Agreeing to Special Meeting to Censure Antioch Mayor, Wilson Opts Out

After Agreeing to Special Meeting to Censure Antioch Mayor, Wilson Opts Out

by ECT

On Tuesday, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Barbanica called for a special meeting of the Antioch City Council to consider a censure of Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe.

The call for a special meeting to censure Thorpe stems from a 44-page Investigate Report involving the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District and Lamar Thorpe being released. The report outlines allegations of sexual harassment based on written complaints by two employees while also includes  testimony, documentation, social media screenshots, and text messages.

The incident prompted the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to vote on a $350k settlement with the two females as a result of two women who resigned from their positions at the healthcare district due to sexual harassment, unwanted sexual advances, hostile working conditions, and other unlawful actions resulting from Executive Director Lamar Thorpe’s misconduct, and the District’s inaction, despite having knowledge of that misconduct. The settlement did state there was no admission of guilt.

Barbanica Tuesday proposed meeting at 7:00 pm on October 13 for the actions that they have been talking about and review the information provided to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

Antioch City Councilwoman Monica Wilson

“We can make a decision one way or another if we are going to censure somebody or we are not,” said Barbanica. “For that to take place, I would need two other councilmembers to agree that we can have a special meeting.”

Councilmember Monica Wilson stated she was not in town that night.

Barbanica asked if she would be available a week from tonight on Tuesday (Oct 18).

Wilson then agreed to the meeting stating after looking at her calendar stating, “it would be tight” but agreed to attend.

Councilmember Tamisah Torres-Walker suggested they have the city managers office reach out and find out everyone’s availability.

Barbanica urged they get the meeting set in hope so getting a quorum.

Torres-Walker said she was not available on October 18th. Lori Ogorchock stated she was available and would attend. The meeting then concluded. With three agreeing to attend, the meeting was set.

UPDATE – Special Meeting Cancelled
According to Mayor Pro Tem Mike Barbanica, there is no longer a quorum of at least three councilmembers who can attend the special meeting on Tuesday October 18. He stated Monica Wilson has backed out of the meeting and would no longer attend.

Barbanica stated “Monica changed her mind” and offered no other details.


Torres-Walker Blasts Claims of Supporting Women While Attacking Woman

During the city council committee reports and communication, Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker took issue at those chastising her and Wilson for remaining silent and failing to take action against the Mayor for behavior.

Torres-Walker issued the following statement:

Antioch Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker statements

“I am perplexed behind how quickly we abandon the values and the work that has been carried out for communities that have been struggling for years. All the work that has been done over the last two years of this council has been valuable and has met the needs of almost every under-served community and there is still more work to do. What I will also say is that I do agree with Devon, that its very odd to me that you can proclaim to stand with women while also attacking women, putting women in dangerous situations where angry powerless white men have the ability to approach them and attack them in public and put their lives at risk. How do you stand with women when you assume what you don’t know. I agree with Devon, you have no idea what is going on in somebody else’s head and isn’t it just like privilege to demand that anybody say anything, behave in a way you deem appropriate based on your standards of how individuals should show up in the world. Interesting.

What I will say is that Councilwoman Ogorchock should call for the censure of Mayor Lamar Thorpe.

From what I understand a censure request is a disapproval of behavior in the way you have conducted yourself. What does a censure do, it does not absolve the mayor of any of his duties. He still gets to chair these meeting, still gets to set the agenda, he still is allowed his one vote, he still gets to represent the city, he still gets to continue to operate and do what he does as a mayor with the simple empty gesture of a censure disapproval by this council.

If we really want to make change to make sure women in particular, because we are not talking about color, have the right to navigate spaces without having to become victims, we should fight for better policies. We should vote for Prop 1, we should fight for gender equity, for gender rights, we should be on the front lines everyday talking about reproductive justice and low birth rates and absence of quality healthcare for women.

I am always a little confused behind the contradictions and how people with the privilege can move between movements in a stance around gender and to stand with women without the absence to actually know what it feels like to be one, a woman of color, a black woman in particular, in a position of power in this city, where for the last two years been called everything from a (foul language) to a (foul language) to (slang term) to everything that you could ever imagine that was so  demeaning to me that my sons had to hear all of this and see all of this and I saw no one standing up to protect women.

I would say your moral compass is misdirected. Not that you are standing with women, but you should be standing with all women in all instances.”


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2 comments

Question Oct 12, 2022 - 8:18 pm

Has anyone explored the possibility that Thorpe has had inappropriate relationships with Wilson and Torezzwalker?

Robert C. Oct 13, 2022 - 5:23 am

Ms. Torres-Walker’s statement makes absolutely no sense. The soap opera (or is it more like an episode of the Keystone Kops?) continues….

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