Friday morning, Antioch Mayor Wade Harper announced he was seeking re-election this fall.
Harper is running for mayor after unsuccessfully placing in the top two of the District 3, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Race behind Steve Barr (Brentwood) and Diane Burgis (Oakley. Harper placed fourth overall.
Harper’s opponents include Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Lori Ogorchock, Sean Wright and Gil Murrillo.
He released the following statement:
Under my leadership as mayor of the city of Antioch we have become a safer and more prosperous city. Our sound Strategic Management Plan IS WORKING to reduce crime, improve economic development and remove blight & graffiti city-wide. That’s a promised kept. THAT’S EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP!
As a former police lieutenant of the 2nd safest city in California and now mayor, I refused to layoff police officers. Instead, I asked Antioch tax payers to fund more cops on the streets, YOU DID! We’ve had the most aggressive hiring practice, recruiting about 40 police officers since passage of Measure C. That’s a promised kept. THAT’S EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP!
Harper was elected to as Mayor of Antioch in 2012 with 40.77% of the vote and in 2014 was elected Mayor beating out Gary Agopian (32.79%) and Don Freitas (20.49%). He ran on “zero tolerance” for crime with the promise to hire more police—which was successful after the passage of Measure C. He also highlighted the need to clean up blight and beefing up the Volunteer Safety Patrol.
Harper began his career 2008 as an appointed member of the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees. He successfully ran for Antioch City Council in 2010 and won a seat as Mayor Pro-Tem.
For more information on Mayor Wade Harper, visit: www.wadeharper.org
20 comments
No way this man will be re-elected, Antioch is a hot mess!! We need new leadership. No more Harper, Rocha or Wilson!!!! Bye bye , you all have done great damage to Antioch. Zero Tolerance is non sense, because the thugs and bottom feeders laugh at your Zero Tolerance while they have invaded our towns. Homeless, loiters, criminals, thugs, all have great stock in Antioch thanks to the invite from these incompetents that I just named!! MAKE ANTIOCH SAFE AGAIN!!!!!!
Delusional self centered Harper aka King Flimflam.
Antioch is safe? What load of crap just like his so called “zero tolerance” for crime.
There he goes again flashing is retired badge.
Apparently, Harper hasn’t been reading the latest crime articles from ECT.
Harper, Wilson, Rocha, All need to go!
Is this man fit to serve office? I will be supporting Lori Ogorchock for Mayor. Antioch needs real change with someone who can be a voice for the sane people of the city.
I have not lived in Antioch long enough to say whether Mayor Harper deserves to be reelected. But I have to share this.
A couple of weeks ago, my family and I were at Williamson Ranch Park and I noticed that one of the large rails (about 20 feet long?) around the playground had come unattached and was hanging dangerously onto the path. The next day, I emailed the mayor about it — no one else. The mayor replied within hours and said the issue was being forwarded for immediate action. A week later I went by the park, and to my surprise, the rail was fixed.
Now, does this single act mean Mayor Harper is a great mayor and deserves reelection? Absolutely not. I don’t know who I will vote for. But you can’t tell me he doesn’t care, and you won’t find that kind of responsiveness in every city. My concern seemed to me like a relatively minor issue with everything else going on around here. It was still heard and acted upon. Take that for what you will.
I have to say this, too… I understand the city has crime issues, and I am concerned about them as anyone else. But we would have not moved our family here if Antioch was as unsafe as most ECT readers and FB followers make it out to be. If you are new to Antioch too, or are thinking about moving here, I encourage you to do your own research and look at the big picture, and not dwell too long listening to folks who have nothing better to do than trash the city they live in.
I have not lived in Antioch long enough to say whether Mayor Harper deserves reelection or not. But I have to share this.
A couple of weeks ago, my family and I were at Williamson Ranch Park when I saw that that one of the rails (about 20 feet long) around the playground had become dislodged and was hanging dangerously into the path surrounding the play area. The next day, I emailed the mayor about it — no one else. He responded within several hours and said the matter had been forwarded for immediate action. A week later, I went by the park and saw that the rail had been fixed.
Now, does this single act mean that Mayor Harper is a great mayor and deserves reelection? Absolutely not. I don’t know who I’ll vote for for mayor right now. But you can’t tell me he doesn’t care. My concern seemed relatively minor compared to all the things going on in the city. It was still heard and acted upon. Take that for what you will.
One other thing — to all the folks who say Antioch is not “safe”– I would not have moved my family here if that was the case. It is NOT as bad as most ECT readers and ECT Facebook followers make it out to be. Yes, the city has crime issues, and they concern me. But if you are thinking of moving here, I urge you to do your own research and not to spend too much time listening to folks who have nothing better to do than trash Antioch every time something happens around here.
Thanks.
I suspect you’ve lived in Antioch 6 months or less.
Safer!!!??? What a joke. He has done NOTHING GOOD for this city. Full of BS lies!
WHAT A CROCK OF STEAMY HOT DOG CRAP. WOW. ANTIOCH HAS TURNED INTO A SHIT HOLE…..
“Under my leadership as mayor of the city of Antioch” – not according to the State of California:
In California, a separately elected mayor in a General Law City, as we have in Antioch, the mayor has only three more powers than the rest of the council members. Those are to lead meetings, sign documents on behalf of the city and nominate council members and residents to city or regional committees and commissions. That’s it.
Since credit is being taken, what has happened since 2011 (starting a zero-tolerance career after running and winning in 2010).
Feral cat victory, THAT’S EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
Rooster victory, THAT’S EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
List of California’s most violent cities includes Antioch #4, THAT’S EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
Antioch was named the 85 “Most Dangerous City” in America THAT’S EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
The list is endless – THAT’S EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP;
Bumping a college for a car lot
50 homicides since 2011
2812 aggravated assaults since 2011
This is a NOT “promised kept.” since you started in the city council as mayor pro tem in 2010:
Arguments For Measure C:
“immediately hire 22 new police officers” Arguments For Measure C,
Wade Harper, Mayor of Antioch/ Retired Police Lieutenant
Crime is down? Crime, as presented in the council meeting, violent crime up over 2%, homicides for the first 1/2 of 2016 is equal to the entire year of 2015, up 250%! Property crime is the only thing significant that brought the overall crimes down and that’s only because everyone went out and got and alarm system and cameras. It’s “cyclical when crime is up, it’s headlines when crime is down.
The % of victory comparing other mayoral runs?
How many votes did you got compared to the other candidates for District 3.
Your mayoral victory in 2012, how many votes did you received vs. the City clerk?
SMH
Voting for Dr. Sean Wright!!!!! <3
I can’t be more impressed with the posts on this article.
Wade Harper, aka King Flimflam. Your days are over. Start packing your bags, your getting an eviction notice!
Hahahaha!
The statement is very misleading which is typical of Mr. Harper. This city cannot afford one more second of this city council. Lori is great and Tony has to go in two years. We have had enough of his rambling on and on too.
Boy, you got that right about Tisk Tisk Tiscareno. What a dummy. Can’t wait to see him go too. He never should have appointed but Seeno bought and paid for him.
Antioch is so different than it was just a few years ago. Now out of town folks don’t want to bring their business to Antioch. As a former shopper and former customer for many businesses in Antioch I hope you all will vote in someone who actually will turn Antioch around and make it a safer great town again. I do not believe that person is Harper based on past performance.
Antioch has gotten worse, but Pittsburg and Antioch have been crappy towns since the 60s, and anyone who’s been around the East Bay for a long time knows it. With cheaper housing you’ll have environmental problems.
It doesn’t matter who you elect, you won’t turn Antioch around.
People can’t wait to get “more bang for their buck” with cheaper housing, and then complain about the crime and poor schools. They blame the police, city council and everyone but themselves for settling in a city with a terrible reputation.
I tell it like it is. The truth hurts. Pack your bags and move to a nicer city. Or stick around and clean up your own town.
It is not cheaper housing. We are all paying more property taxes than the rest of Contra Costa County. You don’t think we’ve tried to clean up our own town. You can’t with a do nothing Mayor. I agree with you that both Pittsburg and Antioch have been crappy towns since the 60’s but so were a lot of other parts of Contra Costa County that are considered affluent now, Walnut Creek being one. Concord also used to be considered Ghetto.
Crappy housing, “yes.” They are built with products outlawed by the EPA to keep costs down because no one is watch dogging these builders the way they should be.
The walls are built with broken sheet rock. All the plywood has damage, the fence posts are rotten, you name it. Someone needs to be more responsible instead of Mayor Harper giving these developers carte blanche without anyway to handle the traffic and the rest of the crap. Can’t even run an errand without some angry guy running a stop sign at 50 mph because APD doesn’t give a crap about traffic enforcement.
Nick, Pittsburg used to have a bad rep but they turned it around into a lovely city. I was never afraid to walk around Pittsburg and am not afraid in Antioch but we do have to continue the hard work to make it better. Our Antioch schools are a shambles because the same people who elect poor council representatives do the same thing with the school board. We need smarter thinking in our elections and that is something I do not see happening. Educate your self before you vote and Harper, Wilson and Rocha will not be reelected.
Antioch desperately needs individuals who view their their election to the city council or any other political office as a one time commitment and if they do their job well and accomplish goals that are in the best interests of residents, then and only then should Antioch voters give them the privilege of serving a second term in office.
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