Letter Writers Cite Drug use, DUI, the “Brett Act” and 602 pages of reasons why we won’t be voting for Brett Watson.

Courtesy of the Mad River Union:

A half-dozen prominent Arcata citizens, including one city councilmember, have issued a letter calling on voters not to re-elect City Councilmember Brett Watson. Watson is one of six candidates running for the two available Arcata City Council seats this November.

Watson’s problems went public last fall. Following his arrest for DUI and cocaine possession in August, 2021, an investigation concluded that Watson had sexually harassed a city staff member and subjected staff to inappropriate behavior. Stripped of all but core duties, his relations with council colleagues and staff have continued to deteriorate into bitter clashes and accusations at council meetings.

Numerous citizens have called for Watson’s resignation, but he has refused. He acknowledges having suffered mental problems, but says he is in recovery and is substance free. Watson has repeatedly accused other councilmembers and staff of discriminating against him due to his Attention Deficit Disorder, a cognitive impairment that he says makes it difficult for him to understand staff reports. He steadfastly denies the allegations of sexual harassment, and considers his outlier status a product of his diligent oversight of city affairs.

The letter rehashes the history, enumerates complaints about Watson and calls for his replacement this fall.

The letter:

 

Drug use, DUI, the “Brett Act” and 602 pages of reasons why we won’t be voting for Brett Watson.

1. On August 1, 2021 Brett Watson was arrested on DUI & possession charges. 

23152(g) vc-DUI of both Alcohol & drug use

11350(a)-possession of a controlled substance (later reported as cocaine)

11364(a) H&S possession of drug paraphernalia (later reported as a smoking device)

Brett Watson booking shot. Via HCSO

Brett’s response to his arrest consisted mostly of excuses followed by a somewhat meager admission of guilt. A sincere apology to our community for putting people’s lives at risk was never issued. This is also not the first time Brett drove while under the influence. The investigation shows him admitting he would be driving while intoxicated. See Appendix 3, page 139 (page 198 of 602), for his exact words.

2. Brett Watson has shown that he has no regard for the CA Brown Act, the purpose of which is to make sure council decisions are made out in the open, in public, not behind closed doors. He violated the law and the spirit on multiple occasions, even joking that he followed the “Brett Act.” His disregard for the basic principles of democratic decision making has been startling.

3. In October of 2021 the rest of the City Council took a unanimous “Vote of No Confidence” in Brett Watson. They eventually removed him from all regional and city committees because of his unseemly and untrustworthy behavior. They felt he was not a good representative of Arcata.

4. An impartial investigation found Brett guilty of improper behavior towards other employees including sexual harassment. He confesses his love for one employee via text. See Appendix 3, page 40 (page 199 of 602). Brett disputed the findings and continued the harassment. 

II. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 

It is undisputed that Watson engaged the conduct attributed to him by [redacted] and that his conduct was motivated by his romantic interest in [redacted] . It is also undisputed that Watson abused his power as a City Councilmember by expecting [redacted] to spend time with him outside of City Hall; to respond to his calls and text messages outside of regular work hours; to engage in communications of a personal nature with him; and to hug him each time they met in his capacity as a Councilmember and her capacity as the [redacted]. The credible evidence presented during the investigation establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the allegations against Watson are sustained. P.3

Read the 602 page report here: www.madriverunion.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Watson-Investigation-Report-PRA_Redacted_5_6_22. 

5. An unprecedented number of citizens asked him to resign. He did not. Brett said he would not even consider it and then continued to further harass the employee in open session during the public meeting. Another unprecedented action was members of staff publicly asking for his resignation.

6. Brett has been and continues to be extremely disruptive in city council meetings. He has insulted and berated staff and he has insulted council members and questioned their veracity. Brett simply does not act as a member of a collective decision-making body.

7. Brett shows disrespect in his treatment of City staff. He harasses and berates them. He publicly accuses them of lying and hiding funds. This behavior goes against all written procedures and protocols for council members, and is unworkable, unseemly, and unproductive. It is unfair and demoralizing to City Staff, who have a right to a workplace free of harassment. 

8. Brett hasn’t been doing the job for more than a year, he misses the maximum meetings allowed while still collecting the benefits. When he does attend meetings, he is often negative and does not play well with others. Due to his absences, Arcata went unrepresented for months with one of the JPAs. Councilmember liaison assignments are an integral part of the job and Brett left Arcata unrepresented.

Fellow citizens: Brett Watson does not represent the values of Arcata. We want to send a message that his behavior is not OK as an elected official (or anyone for that matter). We need to send a message to our staff that we appreciate them and support the work they do for our community, and we must stand up to improve their working conditions. Most importantly, we need to let girls and women know that they are valued and supported by their community and do not have endure harassment of any kind.  We can send this message by not voting for Brett Watson.

Issues may divide us at times, but our deepest shared values unite us.

Elizabeth Conner
James Washington
Alex Stillman
Daniel Barton
Ryan Emenaker
Andy Atkins-Salazar