Watson Stripped of Council Duties, Board Votes to Obtain Restraining Order
With the permission of the Mad River Union, we’re reprinting Kevin Hoover’s reporting on the Arcata City Council special meeting.
The four-person council during the well-attended meeting: Councilmember Meredith Matthews, Vice Mayor Sarah Schaefer, Mayor Stacy Atkins-Salazar and Councilmember Brett Watson. [Photo provided by KLH | Union]
In a series of motions, all of which passed 3 – 1 with Watson dissenting, the council voted to obtain a restraining order against him; to allow contact with staff only during council meetings, not discuss any personal matters with them or touch them; to strip him of his liaison assignments; and to halt his access to keyed staff areas of City Hall. The council also directed staff to look at how a recall election could be pursued.
Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn and Lt. Bart Silvers stood by throughout the meeting [Photo provided by KLH | Union]
Charge, countercharge
Watson is alleged to have sexually harassed a city employee on a persistent basis using his power over her job, as concluded by a private investigator and detailed in a recently released report.
Watson spent a substantial portion of the meeting denying the allegations
, pointing out what he said were problems with the investigator’s report, which he considers biased and invalid, and blaming his alleged victim for encouraging their relationship.
Watson sat alone at the dais during a break in the meeting. [Photo provided by KLH | Union]
Public comment
He says the charges against him have been contrived as a way to neutralize his stringent oversight of city business and scrutiny of staff actions. He also maintains that he is being denied “reasonable accommodation” by staff over his cognitive disorder and emotional issues that make it hard for him to process city business.
Women lined up to turn their backs on Watson as he spoke. [Photo provided by KLH | Union]
But Watson was adamant that he would not do so, stating that there was “zero chance” that he would resign.
Watson’s often combative statements throughout the meeting drew head shakes, groans, jeers, digital gestures and calls that he “resign!” Police Chief Brian Ahearn and another officer stood by in the City Hall lobby, with a clear view of Council Chamber.
In an unprecedented move, a collection of city department heads and other staffmembers submitted letters in support of council action against Watson, reading them to the council.
Developing… more details and documents to come…
Earlier:
- Arcata Mayor Issues Statement on Sunday’s Arrest
- Former Arcata Mayor, Brett Watson, Releases Statement Claiming to Have Stepped Down Eleven Days Ago
- Arcata City Council Selects New Mayor and Vice Mayor After Vote of No-Confidence in Previous Mayor
- Recently Released Texts Between Arcata City Council Members Reveal Struggle Over Issues With Ousted Mayor
- City of Arcata Releases Statement on Potential Violations of Their Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy by Councilmember Brett Watson
- Attorney Recommends Arcata Pursue a Restraining Order Against Councilmember Watson After Harassment Report
- Report Finds Arcata City Councilmember Brett Watson Sexually Harassed Married Staff Member
- Brett Watson Claims No Harassment; “She baked me cookies”
Watson sat alone at the dais during a break in the meeting. KLH | Union
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So you can’t do your job because of cognitive and emotional issues but you were doing your job stringently but now you can’t do your job because they’re trying to stop you from doing the job that you said you couldn’t do.
I suppose that’s the same sort of dysfunctional mental gymnastics that allows you to think that if you harassed someone it’s because they encouraged it.
FFS, just leave, go home and figure shit out. Then probably move and start over fresh where no one knows you.
I don’t have too much to say about this tawdry bit of nonsense…
This is why your town is an embarrassment, a danger to itself and others, and why nobody wants to serve on the City Council…
Brett Watson, meanwhile, when they get a restraining order, ban you from the premises, change all the locks and key-codes, and strip you of your power by hitting you with “female Kryptonite”, you might as well walk and start appearing on talk shows…
The woman here should file an enormous lawsuit against the City of Arcata, but at the same time, we don’t know, probably will never know what started the snowball rolling downhill…
It is my impression that there may have been some fooling around, but we are years too late for film at 6…
Brett needs to be resigning, should have stepped down long ago, and my main concern at this time is for his spouse and family, and the family of the accuser…
A sad mess, a stupid way to wreck a low paying career, and the end of an era where man and women can work in the same space without fighting about every little peccadillo of sexual etiquette…
As the times change from the last 70 years and on into the future, it’s not a man’s world, or a ladies world, but it sure is a world where people can’t get along well at all, especially at work…
And, on HBO, watch “And God Created Woman” (1956), in which Bridget Bardot causes havoc while all the men stumble over their tongues, toes and whatever else, while trying to endear themselves to her and beg her for her “attentions”…
It’s almost as comical as the idea that a clerk/secretary/assistant could unseat a City Councilmember with her extreme attractiveness, in Arcata in 2022…
Wokeness and office politics aside, these are elected officials we are talking about, and they all look pretty ridiculous and rather “elementary school”, to me…
Looking at the photos of the stone-faced and uncomfortable Councilmembers is highly entertaining, and imagining their distress at having to deal with this man just cracks me up!
Imagine, a man, who wants to be with a woman, in this day and age… What a silly idea!
Brett, you are a screwup, and, a throwback, and the presence of your Y chromosome is upsetting the Business of the City of Arcata, so, get lost already so that the XX’ers can take over completely!
I vote for a return to 1956. How about you?
Women back on the pedestal, where they belong!
How about men learn to differentiate between compassion and a come-on?
1956 was only good for white men with money.
You have a lot to say for someone who says they don’t have too much to say…
Just sayin’…
Should have read: “New to say”…
the private investigator that did the investigation for the City went to Wellesley College. my mom graduated from there, it’s an all women’s college. time will answer all questions on this issue. we just need to wait about 8 months.
Yup it’s all a female conspiracy to get him. They must have sneaked whatever drug he had when arrested, gaslighted him so he resigned as mayor too. IT’S ALL THEIR FAULT. Oh, did you notice he never said he didn’t do any of the things alleged. Only that it was not his fault.
How does going to an all girls college make you qualified to investigate low life creepy behavior by men? Why would anyone want to go to an all same sex college unless you are going to a monastery or nunnery to be a monk or nun? Are monks and nuns somehow experts on sex with the opposite sex or interpersonal relationships between men and women? Didn’t that Russian Disinformation shoveler “Hillary the most miserable worst person ever” go there? If so, the investigators report should be thrown into a slash pile pyre on the Arcata Plaza and torched off in a blaze of glory. And Mr. Watson needs to retire before he ends up in the Humboldt County Jail.
Is there anything in the report that indicates to you that it’s findings are unfounded?
So far, the only thing I’ve found challenging the findings are the claims of a man with a self described cognitive impairment and an apparent substance abuse problem. Do you have any other reason to question the results
It’s hard being Brett..
Have they tried moving his desk to the basement and taking away his stapler yet?
LOL That reminds me of an old Seinfeld episode. They tried locking George out of his office he kept sneaking back in.
Obviously you’ve never seen office space, since thats what he was referencing. Highly recommend
Great movie!
Just withhold his paycheck…
That will do it!
$714/month and all the crap they can dish.
Then, they make you mayor, and then, Director of the DHHS!
Magic!
Not 714/mo. As I recall, arcata city council decided it was best during the heart of the covud outbreak to give themselves raises. No public comment and apparently no thought into how not optics look as well as a slap in the face to every arcata citizen at that time. While others were scrambling to survive. Someone please reply to with the actual salary of an Arcata City Council member. If remembering correctly, which I think I am because is flabbergasted with what that job pays, it almost was almost near $80,000/yr……
“seven hundred thirty-five dollars and fifty cents ($735.50) per month, which represents an increase of five percent (5%) for each calendar
year from the operative date of the last salary adjustment. ” Also some benefits like medical insurance. https://www.cityofarcata.org/DocumentCenter/View/9881/1531-Council-Salaries-PDF
The arcata councilwomen are mean, vindictive and petty.
Every one of them… That’s how they got to the positions they are in. Any doubts, just look at transcripts of their campaign speeches and debates.
Does this guy wear leather?
The video of the meeting where Watson blamed the victim led one of those councilwomen to exclaim “Oh my!” and all three covered their faces with their hands. This gesture means “I don’t know what to say”. If anyone is mean, vindictive or petty it’s Watson. He needs help and should resign.
I endorse this comment.
Mean, vindictive, petty and unladylike…
I worked for a phone company years ago and some guy got caught masturbating, he was fired.
Then sued and got his job back. He said he was relieving job tension. This was in the 80s.
If you worked or Henkels and McCoy it was a big story about a little thingy
I believe he is guilty of everything he is accused. That being said an internal investigation by a private company is not the way we should handle these situations as a society.
This is so silly. Though I belive there is elements of truth to his side of the story, the fact that he needs so much help to read and understand anything put in front of him is truly pathetic. Not in a human sense, just the fact that he ran for mayor, and was elected, and is now acting like he should be allowed to stay after all these accusations from his all female staff and council.. Dude, just bail. You’re a moron. Save face and learn something from all this. You’re a sad sac. I’m ashamed. Go home.
There is specific protocol for making claims of “sexual harassment ” in the workplace. I bet the diluted intelligence of city council members dont know them, or bothered to follow them. True, he’s been tried in the court of public opinion . But what they are doing can be easily challenged because chances are good they are the ones over stepping the boundaries.
Since the offenses were ongoing over 3 years, surely Brett is the only one left still on the council…
It is entirely possible that the offended woman never filed a complaint.
There is too much of the story missing here, and I wish the drama queens with the cement make up would start a recall campaign…
They all have little sense, and, they all act like they just got out of junior high.
Brett is an obvious turkey, but why did so much time elapse during the whole drama?
You would hope that Arcata City Council has a quicker process to deal with what they are calling sexual harassment! I’m not victim-blaming… If this woman was worried about her job over non-official demands I would hope that she had somebody assigned to listen to those kinds of things. And that person would immediately advocate for her and make the harassment stop. Period. I think they call them a Personnel Director or an on-staff counselor? How did she have nobody to talk to? And if she did then how could that person not put an immediate stop to it?! Are we seeing the Arcata City Council secretly angry at their own failure of having an effective process in place?! She suffered silently for 3 years?! That should not be allowed to happen! This woman was not protected by the city’s process. What?!! Arcata sounds ripe for another lawsuit…
But now it’s weird that Arcata is piling hate and disgust on to a handicapped individual….that’s what he is, right? Can’t read and understand…can’t process emotionally…That’s a retard I’m sorry handicapped person. So because they had no process in place to get him in line earlier and this went on for so long they got a 600 page report and then hit him over the head with it? Ganging up on a retard…Congratulations, Arcata! This is what you want your daughters to learn?!
I’ll tell you what I want my daughter to learn- Always respect yourself. Give it to others. Demand it from others. If somebody starts overstepping boundaries and you are uncomfortable telling them yourself to stop then go to the biggest strongest person you trust- could be your Dad your husband, a brother or friend, could be your bull-dyke Aunt- any of them and tell them what’s up. Guaranteed they will have a discussion with that person and it will stop. It’s old-school and probably not politically correct and it doesn’t generate big reports from out-of-state consultants and such but it’s what I tell my daughter. Arcata- what a shit show of pansies. But NO I won’t defend him. Only redeeming value of Watson is to provide a target and let the show unfold. Personally- I hope he runs for re-election. To see the hate manifest and boil over is incredible. It would be hilarious…
And the sexual part of the harassment… He made her feel like she had to hug him. Really? Hugs? Hugs and late-night texting? No boobs, vagina, ass or penis anywhere in sight or groped? Not even any nasty talk about whipped cream or penguins in bondage? Where is the sex part?! Parade that around if ya got it …since y’all obviously love a shit show!
I think my HOA runs better than the City of Arcata…
They have to have 7 board members, cause they usually have 3 vacant seats, so they need 7 total to ever get a quorum…
I’m not running, though…
Ripe Indeed. Has anyone else noticed their lackf knowledge in traffic safety, even simple Traffic Control Plans during construction activities that impact driving and roads? In a prior life down in San Diego, I was responsible for setting up TCP’s daily for Verizon and H&M on their fiber optic installation, and boy let me tell you the day and night difference between not only perceived safer but actual safer traffic control down their compared to here. No matter what city we were in that day orweek to drill and rock saw exsting road, laying conduit backfilling and fast set asphalting (all in one day mind you because we required to make safe the roadways at end of shift) there was always a city staff Traffic Control Officer (the one who knows how read actual TCP Plans, often the same one who off on those plans pre construction, and knowledge of traffic control code, yes there a standard) onsite every morning to make sure proper traffic control setup. Obviously this city staff position in bigger cities brings more value as a mitigating effect to lessen potential and loss of life/serious injury, but I will say that these SoCal often hired a second temporary position as the 5G fiber optic cable began rolling down there. In order for it to work, literally every street has to be connected underground to a pull box/underground faculty in order for a business or home on that street to be connected. EVERY STREET ONE SIDE. Can you imagine the consequences of failing to properly plan for this here??? If anyone doesn’t know what and how the construction will look like here in Arcata when they start doing this, think Samoa Blvd shoulder work over the last year. They used the “noodle”, not the rock saw which is way easier, faster and safer. There were only 2 rock saws in the US designed for fiber optic trenching, I was lucky enough to have of them on my projects SD. The noodle essentially drills down approx. 36 inches, then horizontal however long the noodle can drill, and then back up vertically. Rinse, repeat over and over and over and over literally thousands more times. The good news is that the costs incurred for oversight of construction activities by the city of Arcata or any other city/jurstiction can and certainty should be recouped. They are typically baked in the bid of the GC who was awarded the contract. Good time to train up your city staff on all issues related to traffic, traffic safety and civil construction without costing your citizens a dime.